ST. PAUL -- The state says the Minnesota economy lost 8,600 jobs in July.
The Department of Employment and Economic Development says Thursday the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 5.8 percent for the month, up from 5.3 percent in June and 5.4 percent in May.
The July unemployment rate in Minnesota was only a bit above the national rate of 5.7 percent.
The state has lost a total of about 900 jobs over the past year.
The biggest job losses in July were posted by the government, construction and manufacturing sectors. Those were somewhat offset by gains in education and health care.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)