economy

Hourly wages have risen more than $2 an hour in the last 2 years.

Staff says only two bids were submitted and they were way over budget.

Seasonal factors contributed to an increase in the unemployment rate for the Rochester area last month.

The Rochester area has gained back nearly 10,000 jobs over the past year.

Every category of tax revenue was higher than expected.

Employment has grown by over 5300 positions since last May.

The latest jobs report from the state shows Minnesota has regained 60 percent of the jobs that were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown last year.

Minnesota has regained more than 56 percent of the jobs lost at the start of the pandemic.

State officials say general fund revenues for the past two months were over a half-billion dollars higher than expected.

The rate for March remained a full point higher than it was a year ago.

The overall incentive assistance package includes $450,000 in state funds and energy rate assistance.

The unemployment rate last month was the since the start of the pandemic.

Employment in the Rochester area last month was the highest it has been since the pandemic hit last March.

The latest jobless rate reported for the Rochester area was the highest since last September.