ST. PAUL -- Minnesota's unemployment rate is now tied for the lowest ever recorded in the state.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development says the state gained 11,500 jobs in March dropping the unemployment rate to 2.5 percent, which is down from 2.7 percent in February.

The only other time the unemployment rate was this low was in February of 1999.

Minnesota's labor force participation also continues to go up now at 68.1 percent from 67.9 percent last month.

DEED says Minnesota's total labor force is 3,071,594.  The number of people working in the state right now is 2,996,058.  The number of people on unemployment is 75,536.

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DEED Commissioner Steve Grove:

That growth in our state last month was really powerful and compared to the growth rate in the U.S. which grew about .3% , Minnesota we've been told by our friends in Washington is ranked one of the top growing states for job growth in the country

Over the month in Minnesota, ten supersectors gained jobs.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was at 3.6 percent for March, which is down from 3.8 percent in February.

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