BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

11/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/13/2026 10:24

Business Employment Dynamics in Minnesota — First Quarter 2026

News Release Information

26-1627-CHI
Friday, November 13, 2026

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  • (312) 353-1138

Business Employment Dynamics in Minnesota - First Quarter 2026

From December 2025 to March 2026, gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in Minnesota were 142,677, while gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 133,910, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment loss of 8,767 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2026. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 368. (See chart 1.)

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Minnesota, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period Gross job losses Gross job gains

Mar 2021

115,003 219,862

Jun 2021

132,430 144,200

Sep 2021

158,928 155,552

Dec 2021

125,734 175,175

Mar 2022

132,328 150,818

Jun 2022

158,816 157,659

Sep 2022

145,770 162,823

Dec 2022

143,268 145,408

Mar 2023

121,161 144,930

Jun 2023

140,527 152,152

Sep 2023

107,405 83,986

Dec 2023

173,564 172,873

Mar 2024

130,561 152,849

Jun 2024

132,219 144,920

Sep 2024

147,444 128,027

Dec 2024

129,228 137,326

Mar 2025

137,438 131,487

Jun 2025

140,458 146,244

Sep 2025

141,907 133,460

Dec 2025

140,409 140,777

Mar 2026

142,677 133,910
View Chart Data

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job losses represented 5.6 percent of private-sector employment in Minnesota; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In Minnesota, contracting establishments lost 115,559 jobs in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 4,120 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 27,118 jobs, a decrease of 1,852 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and Minnesota, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period Minnesota United States

Mar 2021

4.9 5.5

Jun 2021

5.6 5.9

Sep 2021

6.7 6.0

Dec 2021

5.2 5.4

Mar 2022

5.4 5.5

Jun 2022

6.4 6.2

Sep 2022

5.9 5.9

Dec 2022

5.8 5.9

Mar 2023

4.8 5.5

Jun 2023

5.6 5.9

Sep 2023

4.2 5.9

Dec 2023

6.9 5.7

Mar 2024

5.2 5.5

Jun 2024

5.2 5.9

Sep 2024

5.8 5.8

Dec 2024

5.1 5.7

Mar 2025

5.4 5.5

Jun 2025

5.5 6.0

Sep 2025

5.6 5.7

Dec 2025

5.5 5.5

Mar 2026

5.6 5.5
View Chart Data

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2026, gross job gains represented 5.2 percent of private-sector employment in Minnesota; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.5 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In Minnesota, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 109,824 in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 5,389 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 24,086 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 1,478 jobs from the previous quarter.

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and Minnesota, March 2021-March 2026, seasonally adjusted
Period United States Minnesota

Mar 2021

7.0 9.4

Jun 2021

6.8 6.1

Sep 2021

7.3 6.5

Dec 2021

7.7 7.3

Mar 2022

6.7 6.2

Jun 2022

6.6 6.4

Sep 2022

6.9 6.5

Dec 2022

6.3 5.8

Mar 2023

6.3 5.8

Jun 2023

6.2 6.0

Sep 2023

5.9 3.3

Dec 2023

5.9 6.8

Mar 2024

5.9 6.1

Jun 2024

5.8 5.7

Sep 2024

5.8 5.1

Dec 2024

5.9 5.5

Mar 2025

5.7 5.1

Jun 2025

5.7 5.8

Sep 2025

5.7 5.3

Dec 2025

6.0 5.5

Mar 2026

5.5 5.2
View Chart Data

Industries

Gross job losses exceeded gross job gains in 8 of the 11 published industry sectors in Minnesota in the first quarter of 2026. Leisure and hospitality services had the largest over-the-quarter net job decrease, with a loss of 3,764 jobs. This was the result of 24,443 gross job gains and 28,207 gross job losses. The manufacturing industry had net losses of 2,889 jobs, followed by 2,799 net job losses in the transportation and warehousing industry. Construction showed a net gain of 3,492 jobs, the largest gain of any sector in the state. Minnesota's retail trade industry sector had a net gain of 2,079 jobs.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2026 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 27, 2027, at 9:00 a.m. (CT).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release contain annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. These revisions include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.


Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, Minnesota, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains and losses
(3 months ended) 		Gross job gains and losses
as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026

Total private (1)

Gross job gains

131,487 146,244 133,460 140,777 133,910 5.1 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.2

At expanding establishments

112,899 116,509 109,194 115,213 109,824 4.4 4.6 4.3 4.5 4.3

At opening establishments

18,588 29,735 24,266 25,564 24,086 0.7 1.2 1.0 1.0 0.9

Gross job losses

137,438 140,458 141,907 140,409 142,677 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.6

At contracting establishments

113,459 115,355 117,733 111,439 115,559 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.5

At closing establishments

23,979 25,103 24,174 28,970 27,118 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1

Net employment change (2)

-5,951 5,786 -8,447 368 -8,767 -0.3 0.3 -0.3 0.0 -0.4

Construction

Gross job gains

16,946 16,507 12,795 13,791 17,692 12.0 11.6 9.1 9.8 12.3

At expanding establishments

14,838 13,561 10,646 11,103 15,105 10.5 9.5 7.6 7.9 10.5

At opening establishments

2,108 2,946 2,149 2,688 2,587 1.5 2.1 1.5 1.9 1.8

Gross job losses

14,691 13,982 15,662 16,026 14,200 10.3 9.8 11.2 11.4 9.9

At contracting establishments

11,362 11,409 12,689 12,921 11,790 8.0 8.0 9.1 9.2 8.2

At closing establishments

3,329 2,573 2,973 3,105 2,410 2.3 1.8 2.1 2.2 1.7

Net employment change (2)

2,255 2,525 -2,867 -2,235 3,492 1.7 1.8 -2.1 -1.6 2.4

Manufacturing

Gross job gains

8,445 9,077 8,242 10,249 7,464 2.7 2.9 2.6 3.3 2.4

At expanding establishments

7,925 8,265 7,508 9,298 6,838 2.5 2.6 2.4 3.0 2.2

At opening establishments

520 812 734 951 626 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2

Gross job losses

10,178 10,250 10,523 8,022 10,353 3.2 3.3 3.4 2.5 3.2

At contracting establishments

9,219 9,341 8,986 7,273 9,580 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.3 3.0

At closing establishments

959 909 1,537 749 773 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.2

Net employment change (2)

-1,733 -1,173 -2,281 2,227 -2,889 -0.5 -0.4 -0.8 0.8 -0.8

Wholesale trade

Gross job gains

5,377 5,613 5,096 5,454 4,767 4.1 4.2 3.9 4.1 3.6

At expanding establishments

4,625 4,064 4,099 4,525 4,088 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.1

At opening establishments

752 1,549 997 929 679 0.6 1.2 0.8 0.7 0.5

Gross job losses

5,896 5,844 5,783 5,009 5,638 4.4 4.4 4.3 3.8 4.3

At contracting establishments

4,955 4,835 4,563 3,835 4,245 3.7 3.6 3.4 2.9 3.2

At closing establishments

941 1,009 1,220 1,174 1,393 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.1

Net employment change (2)

-519 -231 -687 445 -871 -0.3 -0.2 -0.4 0.3 -0.7

Retail trade

Gross job gains

14,828 15,283 14,003 13,283 15,650 5.3 5.4 5.0 4.8 5.7

At expanding establishments

13,436 13,203 12,446 11,256 13,541 4.8 4.7 4.4 4.1 4.9

At opening establishments

1,392 2,080 1,557 2,027 2,109 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8

Gross job losses

13,590 16,154 15,570 16,553 13,571 4.8 5.7 5.5 6.0 4.9

At contracting establishments

11,924 14,155 13,511 14,091 11,533 4.2 5.0 4.8 5.1 4.2

At closing establishments

1,666 1,999 2,059 2,462 2,038 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.7

Net employment change (2)

1,238 -871 -1,567 -3,270 2,079 0.5 -0.3 -0.5 -1.2 0.8

Transportation and warehousing

Gross job gains

4,483 5,000 7,931 7,944 4,677 4.5 5.1 8.1 7.9 4.7

At expanding establishments

4,124 4,140 7,344 7,074 4,011 4.1 4.2 7.5 7.0 4.0

At opening establishments

359 860 587 870 666 0.4 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.7

Gross job losses

8,355 7,889 5,584 5,748 7,476 8.3 8.1 5.7 5.7 7.4

At contracting establishments

7,683 7,046 5,062 4,738 6,666 7.6 7.2 5.2 4.7 6.6

At closing establishments

672 843 522 1,010 810 0.7 0.9 0.5 1.0 0.8

Net employment change (2)

-3,872 -2,889 2,347 2,196 -2,799 -3.8 -3.0 2.4 2.2 -2.7

Information

Gross job gains

1,625 1,738 1,861 1,934 1,766 3.8 4.1 4.5 4.7 4.3

At expanding establishments

1,214 1,172 1,249 1,402 1,373 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.4 3.3

At opening establishments

411 566 612 532 393 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.0

Gross job losses

2,260 2,144 2,571 2,207 2,584 5.3 5.0 6.2 5.3 6.3

At contracting establishments

1,666 1,538 1,624 1,580 2,094 3.9 3.6 3.9 3.8 5.1

At closing establishments

594 606 947 627 490 1.4 1.4 2.3 1.5 1.2

Net employment change (2)

-635 -406 -710 -273 -818 -1.5 -0.9 -1.7 -0.6 -2.0

Financial activities

Gross job gains

5,588 7,491 4,895 6,045 5,043 3.3 4.4 2.9 3.6 3.0

At expanding establishments

4,738 6,007 3,932 4,579 4,093 2.8 3.5 2.3 2.7 2.4

At opening establishments

850 1,484 963 1,466 950 0.5 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.6

Gross job losses

6,196 6,731 6,319 6,525 6,478 3.6 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.9

At contracting establishments

4,674 5,222 5,209 5,081 4,946 2.7 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0

At closing establishments

1,522 1,509 1,110 1,444 1,532 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.9

Net employment change (2)

-608 760 -1,424 -480 -1,435 -0.3 0.4 -0.9 -0.2 -0.9

Professional and business services

Gross job gains

17,591 22,874 21,172 21,808 19,156 4.8 6.2 5.8 5.9 5.3

At expanding establishments

14,087 18,186 16,768 17,383 15,670 3.8 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.3

At opening establishments

3,504 4,688 4,404 4,425 3,486 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.0

Gross job losses

20,028 22,942 22,346 22,004 20,038 5.4 6.3 6.0 6.0 5.5

At contracting establishments

15,444 18,286 17,827 17,856 15,399 4.2 5.0 4.8 4.9 4.2

At closing establishments

4,584 4,656 4,519 4,148 4,639 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.3

Net employment change (2)

-2,437 -68 -1,174 -196 -882 -0.6 -0.1 -0.2 -0.1 -0.2

Education and health services

Gross job gains

22,881 23,198 25,738 24,082 23,837 4.0 4.0 4.3 4.1 4.0

At expanding establishments

20,189 18,567 20,785 19,915 17,488 3.5 3.2 3.5 3.4 2.9

At opening establishments

2,692 4,631 4,953 4,167 6,349 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.7 1.1

Gross job losses

17,468 19,104 19,432 24,066 23,562 3.0 3.3 3.3 4.1 3.9

At contracting establishments

14,890 15,674 16,276 16,447 19,363 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.2

At closing establishments

2,578 3,430 3,156 7,619 4,199 0.4 0.6 0.5 1.3 0.7

Net employment change (2)

5,413 4,094 6,306 16 275 1.0 0.7 1.0 0.0 0.1

Leisure and hospitality

Gross job gains

24,268 29,127 22,288 25,871 24,443 8.8 10.7 8.1 9.5 8.9

At expanding establishments

19,839 21,228 17,019 20,434 20,231 7.2 7.8 6.2 7.5 7.4

At opening establishments

4,429 7,899 5,269 5,437 4,212 1.6 2.9 1.9 2.0 1.5

Gross job losses

29,004 24,650 28,785 24,789 28,207 10.6 9.0 10.5 9.2 10.4

At contracting establishments

23,679 19,202 24,423 19,984 22,090 8.7 7.0 8.9 7.4 8.1

At closing establishments

5,325 5,448 4,362 4,805 6,117 1.9 2.0 1.6 1.8 2.3

Net employment change (2)

-4,736 4,477 -6,497 1,082 -3,764 -1.8 1.7 -2.4 0.3 -1.5

Other services (3)

Gross job gains

6,556 6,858 6,026 6,084 6,149 7.6 7.9 6.9 7.0 7.1

At expanding establishments

5,455 5,211 4,632 4,866 4,745 6.3 6.0 5.3 5.6 5.5

At opening establishments

1,101 1,647 1,394 1,218 1,404 1.3 1.9 1.6 1.4 1.6

Gross job losses

6,103 6,452 6,526 6,030 6,639 7.0 7.5 7.5 6.9 7.7

At contracting establishments

4,771 4,993 5,393 4,790 4,590 5.5 5.8 6.2 5.5 5.3

At closing establishments

1,332 1,459 1,133 1,240 2,049 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.4 2.4

Net employment change (2)

453 406 -500 54 -490 0.6 0.4 -0.6 0.1 -0.6

Footnotes:
(1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately.
(2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses.
(3) Except public administration.
Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category Gross job gains as a percent of employment
(3 months ended) 		Gross job losses as a percent of employment
(3 months ended)
Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026 		Mar.
2025 		June
2025 		Sept.
2025 		Dec.
2025 		Mar.
2026

United States(1)

5.7 5.7 5.7 6.0 5.5 5.5 6.0 5.7 5.5 5.5

Alabama

5.5 5.5 5.5 5.9 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.2

Alaska

10.4 10.0 7.4 11.9 9.6 8.3 9.9 10.0 9.4 9.4

Arizona

5.8 5.2 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.3 6.2 5.3 5.4 5.6

Arkansas

5.1 5.1 5.4 6.0 5.3 5.1 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4

California

6.1 6.4 6.3 6.9 6.3 6.4 6.7 6.1 6.1 6.0

Colorado

6.4 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.0 6.6 6.7 6.4 6.2 6.5

Connecticut

5.7 5.8 5.4 5.5 5.3 5.2 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.4

Delaware

6.0 6.0 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.4 6.1 6.0 5.6 5.4

District of Columbia

4.9 5.7 4.6 5.5 5.0 5.8 6.1 6.0 5.1 4.9

Florida

5.8 5.7 6.0 5.9 5.3 5.5 5.8 5.9 5.6 5.5

Georgia

5.6 5.5 5.7 5.9 5.3 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.5

Hawaii

5.2 4.9 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.2 5.2 4.8 4.7 5.1

Idaho

7.5 7.6 6.7 8.0 7.7 7.3 7.1 7.6 6.3 7.0

Illinois

5.0 5.2 4.7 5.3 5.1 5.0 5.1 5.0 5.3 5.0

Indiana

5.4 5.1 5.1 5.5 4.9 5.1 5.4 5.1 5.1 5.1

Iowa

6.0 5.5 4.8 6.2 6.0 5.6 5.8 5.9 5.4 5.4

Kansas

5.5 5.4 5.8 5.8 5.4 5.4 6.3 5.8 5.4 5.3

Kentucky

5.3 5.0 5.3 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.3 5.6 5.1 5.3

Louisiana

5.8 5.6 6.0 6.0 5.7 5.7 6.2 5.9 5.9 5.4

Maine

7.3 7.1 6.4 6.8 6.4 6.4 7.3 7.0 7.0 6.3

Maryland

5.9 5.7 5.8 6.1 5.6 5.8 6.6 6.3 5.5 6.0

Massachusetts

5.0 5.5 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.1 5.7 5.9 5.5 5.3

Michigan

5.3 5.8 4.9 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.4 5.9 5.3 4.9

Minnesota

5.1 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.2 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.5 5.6

Mississippi

6.0 6.2 6.4 6.4 5.7 6.1 6.2 6.0 5.9 6.3

Missouri

5.4 5.6 5.7 6.2 5.6 5.2 6.1 5.9 5.4 5.3

Montana

8.0 7.7 7.1 8.4 7.8 7.6 8.3 7.9 7.4 7.0

Nebraska

5.3 5.4 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.5 6.0 5.3 5.4

Nevada

5.4 6.1 6.9 6.4 5.7 5.9 6.3 5.3 5.4 5.7

New Hampshire

6.6 6.3 5.6 6.3 6.1 6.1 6.7 6.8 5.7 6.3

New Jersey

5.4 5.7 5.3 5.8 5.3 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.4 5.5

New Mexico

6.1 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.0 5.8 6.0 6.4 6.0 5.9

New York

7.0 6.1 5.9 5.6 5.4 5.2 7.0 5.7 5.5 5.2

North Carolina

5.6 5.7 5.4 6.0 5.8 5.5 5.4 5.7 5.0 5.3

North Dakota

6.7 6.4 6.2 6.9 6.8 6.5 6.8 6.6 6.4 6.7

Ohio

5.2 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.4 5.3 5.0 5.1

Oklahoma

5.5 5.6 6.0 6.2 5.3 5.3 6.2 6.3 5.3 5.3

Oregon

6.1 6.1 5.7 5.9 5.7 6.1 6.4 6.6 6.0 5.9

Pennsylvania

5.0 4.9 5.0 5.1 4.7 4.7 5.1 5.1 4.7 4.8

Rhode Island

6.6 6.3 6.0 6.6 5.8 5.9 6.7 6.6 6.2 6.0

South Carolina

6.1 5.9 6.3 6.6 6.0 5.6 6.1 6.1 5.5 5.7

South Dakota

6.3 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.9 6.4 6.0 5.9 6.1

Tennessee

5.5 5.3 5.8 6.0 5.4 5.3 6.5 5.5 5.3 4.9

Texas

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.8 5.4 5.1 5.3 5.2 4.9 5.4

Utah

6.8 6.9 6.9 6.6 6.4 6.2 6.8 6.5 6.2 6.1

Vermont

7.0 6.9 6.7 7.0 6.6 6.8 7.4 7.7 7.0 6.5

Virginia

5.6 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.5 5.2 5.8 6.1 5.2 5.4

Washington

5.7 6.0 5.2 5.6 5.7 6.0 5.9 6.0 5.7 5.5

West Virginia

6.7 5.6 6.1 6.1 6.4 5.9 6.4 6.2 6.2 5.4

Wisconsin

5.1 5.3 4.9 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.4 5.6 5.1 4.9

Wyoming

8.1 8.3 7.7 9.0 8.8 8.8 8.9 8.4 8.0 8.2

Puerto Rico

6.5 7.0 5.2 4.6 4.6 5.2 6.0 5.4 5.3 4.6

Virgin Islands

6.1 11.9 6.9 8.4 7.3 8.8 9.2 7.5 5.7 7.1

Footnotes
(1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
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