Pawlenty reacts to rising unemployment rate

Gov. Pawlenty says Minnesota's struggling job numbers are a sign that the economy is weak on a national basis.

The most recent job numbers show that Minnesota lost 8,600 jobs in July, pushing Minnesota's unemployment rate to 5.8 percent, above the national average. On his weekly radio show this morning, Pawlenty said the entire national economy is struggling.

"The unemployment number for July has gone up to 5.8 percent, which is a near historic high in our state which is unfortunate," said Pawlenty. "But it reflects a stumbling or struggling economy, both nationally and in states like Minnesota."

Despite the job losses, Pawlenty notes that Minnesota's workforce participation rate is one of the highest in the nation. That measure examines the number of people between the ages of 18 and 65 who have jobs.

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