DEED Roundup-May 23, 2016

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May 23, 2016

In the News

State Labor Market Getting Tighter
Mankato Free Press-5/17/16
DEED's Steve Hine told a group in Mankato last week that a tighter labor market will be the norm in Minnesota in coming years. An aging population and a leveling off of women entering the workforce are two of the factors at play. Immigrant workers and measures to improve worker mobility and remove obstacles for people who want to work are all necessities to counter the likely shortage, Hine said.

A Strong Month for Job Creation
Minneapolis Star Tribune-5-20-16
Minnesota’s economy added 15,600 jobs in April, as the private sector posted its second-best month of job creation since the state started tracking the numbers in 1990. Most sectors added jobs, but the gains were led by durable goods manufacturing, administrative services, bars and restaurants, and construction, according to DEED data.

Serving Our Clients

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The Minnesota economy kept on rolling last year, with 87 major business expansion projects statewide creating nearly 6,600 jobs. Companies invested nearly $670 million on those projects. They include a $4 million expansion by Alexandria Extrusion in Alexandria and a $50 million building addition by Viracon in Owatonna. Learn about these and other projects in DEED's Business Expansion Projects 2015 report.

Recent Press Releases

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State Gains 15,600 Jobs in April
Minnesota employers added 15,600 jobs in April, according to figures released by DEED last week. The agency said the April job gains were the most for a month since September 2013. The state’s jobless rate held steady in April at 3.8 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate in April was 5 percent. “The surge in hiring last month points to continued growth in the state economy,” Commissioner Hardy said.

Kraft Heinz Planning New Ulm Expansion
Global food and beverage company Kraft Heinz will invest more than $100 million and add 50 jobs in an expansion of its production facilities in New Ulm. The company, co-headquartered in Pittsburgh and Chicago, plans to expand an existing plant in New Ulm and add four new production lines by the end of 2017. DEED is supporting the project with a $450,000 forgivable loan from the Minnesota Investment Fund. The loan will be forgiven if the company meets hiring and investment goals.

Recent Blog Posts

Catherine Byers Breet

Who needs a personal brand? Everybody does, according to guest columnist Catherine Byers Breet. Read her latest blog post at MinnesotaWorks.net. She will speak on personal brands at the Hennepin South WorkForce Center in Bloomington on Tuesday.