Minnesota jobless rate holds relatively stable

Minnesota's unemployment rate remained virtually flat last month, as employers added just 600 jobs.

The state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7 percent. That was up one-tenth of a percent from July's revised unemployment figure of 6.9 percent.

Dan McElroy, commissioner of the state Department of Employment and Economic Development said the numbers include some encouraging signs.

McElroy said a rise in the hiring of temporary workers could be a harbinger of a future surge in overall hiring, and that the one-tenth of an hour increase in the average work week of Minnesotans is significant.

"That doesn't sound like much but across an economy of almost 2.7 million jobs, it is more than a million work hours a month; makes a big difference in the economy," McElroy said. "It's also an indicator that the need for productive capacity is increasing and may lead to hiring."

Minnesota remains well under the national unemployment rate, which stands at 9.6 percent.