Industrial Analysis
by Nick Dobbins
April 2025
Monthly analysis is based on seasonally adjusted employment data.
Yearly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.
Overview
Minnesota employment was up by 10,700 (0.4%) over the month in March on a seasonally adjusted basis. Private sector employers added 9,200 jobs (0.4%), and public sector employers added 1,500 jobs (0.3%). Employment in goods production was up 3,500 (0.8%), while service providers added 7,200 jobs (0.35).
On an annual basis Minnesota employers added 37,581 jobs (1.3%), outpacing the national rate of 1.2%. Goods producers added 3,019 jobs (0.7%), and service providers added 34,562 jobs (1.4%).
Mining and Logging
Employment in Mining and Logging was up 100 jobs or 1.5% in March. The growth makes up for the loss of 100 jobs in February, leaving the supersector's employment growth flat in 2025 at 6,600 jobs.
Over the year Mining and Logging employers added 265 jobs or 4.3%, one of the larger proportional growth rates in the state and larger than February's 4.1% over-the-year growth. Nationally employment in the supersector was down by 1.9%.
Construction
Construction employment was up by 1,900 (1.4%) over the month on a seasonally adjusted basis. The growth comes after a loss of 1,200 jobs in February, suggesting a later start to the construction season than we had in 2024.
On an annual basis Construction employers added 1,805 jobs or 1.5%. Heavy and Civil Engineering posted the most growth, adding 2,467 jobs or 18.9%. Construction of Buildings added 839 jobs (2.8%), and Specialty Trade Contractors lost 1,501 jobs (1.9%) owing in large part to the loss of 2,148 jobs (5.5%) in the Building Equipment Contractors component sector.
Manufacturing
Employment in Manufacturing was up by 1,500 (0.5%) over the month of March. Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing drove the growth, which was up 1,200 or 1%, while their counterparts in Durable Goods Manufacturing contributed 300 jobs (up 0.1%).
Over the year the Manufacturing supersector added 949 jobs (0.3%), better than the national loss of 0.6%. Annual growth came entirely from the Non-Durable Goods component, which added 3,439 jobs (31%) with component Food Manufacturing up 2,570 jobs or 5.5%. Durable Goods Manufacturers lost 2,490 jobs or 1.2%, with losses spread among most component sectors.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment was up 1,500 (0.3%) in March. Wholesale Trade and Retail Trade both added 800 jobs (up 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively) while Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employment was off by 100 jobs (0.1%). It was the first month of positive growth in the supersector in 2025.
Over the year employment in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities was up by 1,158 jobs (0.2%), lower than the national growth of 1%. Retail Trade added 1,180 jobs (0.4%), and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities added 872 jobs (0.8%), while the Wholesale Trade sector lost 894 jobs or 0.7%.
Information
Employment growth in Information was flat over the month in March, with the supersector holding at 43,400 jobs. Information employers have added 300 jobs so far in 2025.
On an annual basis the supersector lost 361 jobs or 0.8%. This was an improvement over February's -1.7% over-the-year growth but was slightly worse than the national rate of -0.6%. Publishing added 90 jobs (0.5%), while Telecommunications lost 308 jobs (3.6%). Not all component sectors in Information are published at the state level.
Financial Activities
Financial Activities employers shed 200 jobs (0.1%) in March. The losses came in Finance and Insurance, which lost 300 jobs (0.2%) while Real Estate and Rental and Leasing added 100 jobs (0.3%).
Over the year Financial Activities employers lost 2,359 jobs or 1.3%. It was the largest real and proportional decline of any supersector in the state and worse than the national rate of 1% annual growth. Finance and Insurance was off by 2,839 jobs or 1.8%, while Real Estate and Rental and Leasing employment was up by 480 or 1.4%.
Professional and Business Services
Employment in Professional and Business Services was up by 700 (0.2%) over the month in March. The supersector has added jobs in every month of 2025 so far, with a total of 4,600 jobs added in the first quarter of the year. The monthly growth came entirely in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, which was up 1,100 jobs (0.6%) as the other two component sectors lost jobs on the month.
Over the year Professional and Business Services employment was up by 1,829 jobs or 0.5%. It marked the first month of over-the-year growth for the supersector since June of 2023.
Educational and Health Services
Educational and Health Services employment was up by 3,600 jobs or 0.6% over the month on a seasonally adjusted basis. The growth came entirely from Health Care and Social Assistance (up 3,900 or 0.7%) as the Educational Services component sector lost 300 jobs (0.4%).
Over the year the supersector added 26,655 jobs or 4.6%. This was the largest real and proportional annual growth of any supersector in the state and outpaced the national growth of 3.4%. Educational Services lost 179 jobs (0.2%), but this loss was more than balanced by the gain of 26,834 jobs or 5.3% in Health Care and Social Assistance. Every component sector in Health Care and Social Assistance added jobs on the year.
Leisure and Hospitality
Employment in Leisure and Hospitality was up by 800 (0.3%), the first month of positive growth for the supersector in 2025. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation and Accommodation and Food Services each added 400 jobs on the month, up 0.3% and 0.8%, respectively.
On an annual basis employment in the supersector was down by 1,760 or 0.7%. After posting nearly four years of unbroken over-the-year growth in the post-COVID recovery, the supersector has now lost jobs in two consecutive months. Accommodation and Food Services lost 2,635 jobs (1.2%) while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation added 875 jobs (2%).
Other Services
Other Services employers shed 700 jobs (0.6%) in March on a seasonally adjusted basis. The loss came after two consecutive months of positive growth for the supersector.
On an annual basis Other Services employment was up by 1,398 (1.2%), slightly lower than the national growth of 1.5%. Repair and Maintenance added 539 jobs (2.3%), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, and Professional Organizations added 565 jobs (0.9%), and Personal and Laundry Services added 294 jobs (1.1%).
Government
Government employment was up 1,500 (0.3%) over the month of March. Local level employers added 1,300 jobs (0.4%), State employers added 200 jobs (0.2%), and Federal employment held steady at 33,600 jobs.
Over the year Government employers in Minnesota added 8,002 jobs or 1.8%. This outpaced national growth of 1.3%. State Government employment was up 3,772 (3.5%), Local Government was up 4,239 (1.4%), and Federal Government employment was down 9 (0.0%). Broadly speaking, non-education employment growth outpaced education-related employment growth in the supersector.
| Minnesota Seasonally Adjusted Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (In Thousands) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Mar-25 | Feb-25 | Jan-25 |
| Total Nonfarm | 3049.7 | 3039 | 3038.2 |
| Goods-Producing | 469.9 | 466.4 | 467.3 |
| Mining and Logging | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.6 |
| Construction | 139.8 | 137.9 | 139.1 |
| Manufacturing | 323.5 | 322 | 321.6 |
| Service-Providing | 2579.8 | 2572.6 | 2570.9 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 536.3 | 534.8 | 535.7 |
| Information | 43.4 | 43.4 | 43.3 |
| Financial Activities | 187.7 | 187.9 | 188.4 |
| Professional and Business Services | 377.2 | 376.5 | 373.8 |
| Educational and Health Services | 609.2 | 605.6 | 603.3 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 269.3 | 268.5 | 270.9 |
| Other Services | 117.5 | 118.2 | 117.6 |
| Government | 439.2 | 437.7 | 437.9 |
| Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Current Employment Statistics, 2025. | |||