Industrial Analysis
by Nick Dobbins
May 2025
Monthly analysis is based on seasonally adjusted employment data.
Yearly analysis is based on unadjusted employment data.
Overview
Employment in Minnesota was mostly flat in April, losing 1,300 jobs or 0.0% over the month on a seasonally adjusted basis. Goods producers added 1,200 jobs (0.3%) while service providers lost 2,500 jobs (0.1%). Private sector employers lost 800 jobs (0.0%), and public sector employers lost 500 jobs (0.1%).
Over the year Minnesota employers added 35,480 jobs (1.2%). Seven of 11 published supersectors posted positive annual growth. Employment among service providers was up 31,343 jobs or 1.2%, while goods producers added 4,137 jobs or 0.9%.
Mining and Logging
Employment in Mining and Logging was up by 100 or 1.5%, over the month of Aptil on a seasonally adjusted basis. This was the highest proportional monthly growth of any supersector in the state. Mining and Logging employers have only lost jobs in one month of 2025 so far.
On an annual basis employment in the supersector was up by 179 or 2.8%. This was down from the 4.9% over-the-year growth in March. Employment in the supersector has been positive annually since December of 2024.
Construction
Construction employment was up by 600 (0.4%) in April. The supersector has added jobs in three of four months in 2025 and has added a seasonally adjusted 1,700 jobs so far this year.
On an annual basis Construction employers added 1,234 jobs or 0.9%, down from March's 1.6% annual growth. The largest growth was in Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction, which was up by 1,220 or 7.3%. Construction of Buildings was up 753 (2.5%), and Specialty Trade Contractor employment was down by 739 (0.9%).
Manufacturing
Employment in Manufacturing was up by 500 or 0.2% over the month in April, the fourth consecutive month of seasonally adjusted growth for the supersector. Durable Goods manufacturers added 800 jobs (0.4%) while their counterparts in Non-Durable Goods lost 300 jobs or 0.3%.
Over the year employment in Manufacturing was up by 2,724 jobs or 0.9%. Durable Goods Manufacturing was off by 608 (0.3%), but those losses were offset by the addition of 3,332 jobs or 3% in Non-Durable Goods Manufacturing. Food Manufacturing in particular was up 2,441 jobs or 5.3%.
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities employers added 1,600 jobs or 0.3%, over the month. All three published component sectors posted positive growth. Retail Trade was up 1,100 (0.4%), Wholesale Trade was up 200 (0.2%), and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities was up 300 (0.3%).
On an annual basis employment in the supersector was mostly flat, down by 149 jobs or 0.0%. The supersector has been holding fairly steady with flat or slightly positive over-the-year growth since November of 2024. Retail Trade added 1,596 jobs (0.6%) over the year in April, and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities added 1,404 jobs (1.2%), but those gains were overshadowed by the loss of 3,149 jobs or 2.3% in Wholesale Trade.
Information
Employment in Information was down by 100 (0.2%) in April. It was the second consecutive month of seasonally adjusted declines for the supersector, which is now down 300 jobs since the beginning of 2025.
Over the year Information employment was down by 657 or 1.5%. Publishing employment was up by 36 (0.2%), and Telecommunications lost 398 jobs (4.6%).
Financial Activities
Financial Activities employment was off by 800 (0.4%) over the month in April. Finance and Insurance lost 600 jobs (0.4%), and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing lost 200 jobs (0.6%).
Over the year Financial Activities employers lost 3,478 jobs or 1.8%. Finance and Insurance lost 3,430 jobs (2.2%) owing in large part to the loss of 2,601 jobs (5.5%) in Depository Credit Intermediation. Real Estate and Rental and Leasing employment was down by 48 jobs (0.1%),with Real Estate losing 302 jobs (1.1%).
Professional and Business Services
Employment in Professional and Business Services was down by 2,000 (0.5%) in April. Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services lost 1,300 jobs (1.1%), and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services lost 1,000 (0.6%) while Management of Companies and Enterprises added 300 jobs or 0.4%.
Over the year the supersector added 1,735 jobs or 0.5%. It was their second consecutive month of over-the-year growth, after posting annual declines consistently since the summer of 2023. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services drove the growth, adding 5,088 jobs or 3.1% while the other two component sectors posted declines on the year. Management of Companies was down 1,201 (1.4%), and Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation was down 2,152 (1.8%).
Educational and Health Services
Educational and Health Services employment was off by 2,400 (0.4%) over the month in April. Both component sectors lost jobs on the month. Educational Services was down 1,300 (1.7%), and Health Care and Social Assistance lost 1,100 jobs (0.2%).
On an annual basis employment in Educational and Health Services was up by 23,936 or 4.1%, the largest real and proportional growth of any supersector in the state. The growth came entirely from the Health Care and Social Assistance component sector, which added 24,038 jobs or 4.7% with growth in all published components. Educational Services lost 102 jobs or 0.1% on the year.
Leisure and Hospitality
Employment in Leisure and Hospitality was up by 1,600 (0.6%) on a seasonally adjusted basis in April. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation added 1,300 jobs (2.6%), and Accommodation and Food Services added 300 jobs (0.1%).
Over the year Leisure and Hospitality employment was down by 2,269 (0.9%). The decline was driven by Accommodation and Food Services, which lost 4,367 jobs (2%) with the loss of 4,778 jobs (2.5%) in Food Services and Drinking Places. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation employment was up by 2,098 (4.4%) over the year in April.
Other Services
Employment in Other Services was up by 100 (0.1%) in April. It was the fourth consecutive month of seasonally adjusted growth for the supersector, which has added a total of 2,100 jobs so far in 2025.
On an annual basis Other Services employment was up by 3,222 or 2.8% with growth in all published component. Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, and Professional Organizations added 1,823 jobs (2.8%), Repair and Maintenance added 822 jobs (3.4%), and Personal and Laundry Services added 577 jobs (2.1%).
Government
Government employers lost 500 jobs (0.1%) over the month. All three levels of government posted monthly declines, with Federal employment down 200 (0.6%), State down 100 (0.1%), and Local down 200 (0.1%).
Annually Government employers added 9,003 jobs or 2.1%. Both State and Local level employment was up on the year, driven by non-educational services. State non-education employment was up 2,676 jobs (6.1%), and Local non-education employment was up 6,155 jobs (4.3%). Federal Government employment was down by 39 or 0.1%.
| Minnesota Seasonally Adjusted Nonagricultural Wage and Salary Employment (In Thousands) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry | Apr-25 | Mar-25 | Feb-25 |
| Total Nonfarm | 3050 | 3051.3 | 3039 |
| Goods-Producing | 471.3 | 470.1 | 466.4 |
| Mining and Logging | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.5 |
| Construction | 140.8 | 140.2 | 137.9 |
| Manufacturing | 323.8 | 323.3 | 322 |
| Service-Providing | 2578.7 | 2581.2 | 2572.6 |
| Trade, Transportation, and Utilities | 537.5 | 535.9 | 534.8 |
| Information | 43 | 43.1 | 43.4 |
| Financial Activities | 186.3 | 187.1 | 187.9 |
| Professional and Business Services | 375 | 377 | 376.5 |
| Educational and Health Services | 607 | 609.4 | 605.6 |
| Leisure and Hospitality | 271.9 | 270.3 | 268.5 |
| Other Services | 119.7 | 119.6 | 118.2 |
| Government | 438.3 | 438.8 | 437.7 |
| Source: Department of Employment and Economic Development, Current Employment Statistics, 2025. | |||