In April, the Rochester area broke a new record for total employment with 91,788 jobs in Olmsted County, surpassing the previous record of 91,541 set in August. This achievement came as the local labor force also came close to reaching a record high, with an estimate of just under 93,600.
The unemployment rate for Olmsted County fell to 1.9% in April, marking a 3-tenths of a percentage point decrease from March. This is the first time this year that the jobless rate has been below 2% and is slightly lower than the rate reported for April of last year. The Rochester area had the lowest unemployment rate in the region, with every county reporting a drop in unemployment in April.
The biggest drop in unemployment was seen in Dodge County, where the jobless rate decreased by a full percentage point from March. However, Dodge County still had the highest unemployment rate in southeastern Minnesota at 2.6%. Despite this, the overall trend across the region was positive, with lower unemployment rates observed throughout.
These latest job data provide hope for continued economic growth and prosperity in the Rochester area and surrounding counties as they indicate progress towards recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on employment rates.