ROCHESTER — More people in the Rochester area are coming back to work, spurring job — and unemployment — growth.
The Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted and Wabasha counties, added 1,685 jobs — or 1.3% — from May to June, according to the most recent state data.
Job gains are typically expected in the summer months as summer seasonal workers are added to Minnesota’s labor force. Yet, that kind of growth in June hasn’t happened since 2018, when the area added close to 2,000 jobs that month.
At the same time, the Rochester area’s unemployment rate ticked up from a record-low 1.3% in May to 1.9% last month. The local labor force added about 1,000 people in June, while the area had about 800 more unemployed people seeking work than in May.
Cameron Macht, a regional analyst with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), said Rochester continues to show strong economic growth even taking seasonal employment swings into account.
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