The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says Minnesota’s unemployment rate for the month of June dropped to a new record low of 1.8%, the lowest it’s been since tracking began in 1976.
DEED says the lowest pre-pandemic unemployment rate was 2.5% in early 1999.
Nationally, the unemployment rate stayed the same at 3.6%.
The unemployment recovery has not been consistent for all Minnesotans. Black and Hispanic Minnesotans have higher labor force participation rates at 68.9% and 79.7% respectively in June 2022, than white Minnesotans at 68.4% in June. The labor force participation rate for white Minnesotans has fallen consistently over the pandemic period, largely due to an aging workforce.