For the most recent completed state fiscal year, FY 2014, there were 36,546 full-time equivalent employees on an annual basis. This is a 2.1% increase, or 760 FTE, over the previous fiscal year, 2013.
The number of state employees is typically measured in terms of full-time equivalent staff years - that, is one person working forty hours a week for a full year would be considered one FTE; two people working half-time would also count as one FTE. FTE is calculated based on the number of hours paid divided by the normal number of working hours in a year, usually 2080. The calculation includes full-time employees, part-time, seasonal and temporar labor, and overtime hours.
The chart below displays the growth in state employment from 2003 to 2014. State FTE employment has grown by approximately 2,619 positions - increasing from 33,927 to 36,546. This is just under a 7.7 percent increase over the eleven year period. The number of full-time equivalent state employees has generally tracked closely with the growth in the Minnesota's total population which increased 7.3 percent from 2003 to 2014.
While there are about one hundred various state agencies, boards and commissions, ten of the largest entities account for nearly 80 percent of total state employment
The four largest agencies Human Services, Transportation, Corrections, and Natural Resources are the largest state government employers accounting for just over 50 percent of total state employment.
The state level employment data includes executive branch state agencies, constitutional offices, the judicial branch, retirement systems, and the legislative auditor which are paid through the state's payroll system. Not included are FTE estimates for the Legislature, higher education systems (University of Minnesota and MNSCU), and and quasi-state entities such as the Minnesota Historical Society and Metropolitan Council which are generally reflected as state grant programs.