COVID-19 News: Minnesota joblessness jumps to 8.1% in 1st Month Of Pandemic

Minnesota’s unemployment rate for April jumped to 8.1%, a loss of nearly 360,000 jobs in the first full month of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minnesota’s unemployment rate was 2.9% in March. The new jobless numbers were way below the nearly 700,000 applications for unemployment insurance that Minnesota has received since March 16, when Gov. Tim Walz ordered bars and restaurants to close.

Officials say there are several reasons why the numbers don’t match.  A key reason is that workers can get benefits if their hours have been cut but they’re still working. They aren’t counted as unemployed in the official rate.