Report: Minnesota lost sixth-most jobs in nation during pandemic

Over the past 28 months, Minnesota has lost 61,400 non-farm jobs.

Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a press conference on the economy in September 2021. (Office of Gov. Tim Walz/Flickr)

While Minnesota’s Democratic leaders continue to tout a healthy state economy, a data analysis from the Brookings Institution indicates Minnesota ranks sixth for most job losses since the start of the pandemic.

“Thanks to our workers and our smart, job-creating policies, Minnesota’s economy is growing like never before. In the remaining days of the legislative session, we have an opportunity to power Minnesota’s economic growth even further by lowering costs for families, investing in our workers, and making smart, future-looking decisions to move Minnesota forward,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement when the state’s unemployment reached a record low of 2.2% in April.

Unemployment again dropped to a new low of 2% in May. However, there were still 75,000 people out of the labor force entirely, meaning they aren’t considered in official unemployment numbers.

The new analysis, using data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), indicates Minnesota is among the top six states that have lost the most non-farm jobs since March 2020.

Over the past 28 months, Minnesota has lost 61,400 non-farm jobs. Other Midwestern states with even greater job losses include Michigan at 104,900, Ohio at 83,200, and Illinois at 73,300.

New York and Pennsylvania sit at the top of the list with respective non-farm job losses of 296,700 and 118,300 over that same period.

“Many of the states that have suffered the greatest number of job losses since the virus reached American soil are blue states, or those where the majority tends to vote Democrat, with New York leading the way,” The Hill explained in an article on the data.

 

Evan Stambaugh

Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.