Updated
Updated · KEYC · Jul 16
Greater Mankato Growth Expands Business Outreach as Minnesota Adds 13,000 Jobs
Updated
Updated · KEYC · Jul 16

Greater Mankato Growth Expands Business Outreach as Minnesota Adds 13,000 Jobs

1 articles · Updated · KEYC · Jul 16

Summary

  • Greater Mankato Growth is stepping up direct meetings with employers to collect local job data, saying official figures are too inconsistent to show what is happening in the region.
  • Minnesota added more than 13,000 jobs last month and lowered unemployment to 4.4%, but local analysts said federal reports do not match conditions they are seeing on the ground.
  • Mankato's labor market has swung between layoffs at Jack Link's and Mankato Clinic and hiring at Rolls-Royce and Walmart's distribution center, leaving the net impact unclear for months.
  • Ryan Vesey, GMG's economic development director, said layoffs also have not produced a matching rise in unemployment claims, reinforcing concerns about data quality and later revisions.

Insights

With conflicting reports of layoffs and new jobs, what does Mankato's economic future actually look like for residents?
If federal job numbers are flawed, how can we know if local economies are truly growing or shrinking?
Can talking directly to businesses fix the flawed economic data that misguides national policy and local investment?