ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development announced Thursday that 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits, known as Federal-State Extended Benefits, will be phased out, effective the week ending Jan. 14.
As required by federal law, the extended benefits won’t be available because the state’s three-month average unemployment rate has fallen below 6.5 percent. The extended benefits will be ending in nine other states in January as well.
With the change, unemployed Minnesotans still may be eligible for up to 73 weeks of unemployment benefits, including 26 weeks of regular state-funded benefits and 47 weeks of benefits under the federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program.
DEED began mailing letters earlier this month to about 7,000 applicants who may be affected by the reduction in benefit weeks.
About 118,000 people are currently requesting unemployment benefits in Minnesota on a weekly basis.
Brainerd’s unemployment rate rose in November to 11.7 percent. Brainerd was the only city with a population of 10,000 or more with a double-digit jobless rate in the state. Few others were even close. The majority of the cities had unemployment rates of 4 percent and 5 percent.
In Brainerd, the percentages mean out of a labor force of 7,322 in the city, 860 were without jobs. Brainerd’s jobless rate has not dipped below 10 percent now for 37 months. The Brainerd Micropolitan jobless rate, covering Crow Wing and Cass counties, increased to 7.6 percent in November.
In Crow Wing County, the November jobless rate was 7.2 percent. In the seven county area, the jobless rates ranged from 5.8 percent to 8.6 percent.
For more information about the changes, go to www.uimn.org or call (651) 296-3644 or (877) 898-9090 and TTY for the hearing impaired at (866) 814-1252.
DEED is the state’s principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and services, go online at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com.
Comments (19)
Add commentHowever, we should expect
However, we should expect further worsening on joblessness in the country in the next quarter because of political anxieties in the Middle East, check out an article called High Speed Universities for relation between a degree and job and the pay rate.
in febuary
minnesnowda and lakelander will be crowing about the 7000 jobs obumby created when these folks went offen unemployment and weren't counted as unemployed anymore. Go figger.
Economy on the upswing
According to the news last night more jobs will be added in 2012.
I hope these folks can 'hang on' for awhile longer.
I have been fortunate to have always had a job (or two at a time)
and even owned my own business for a decade
and never needed to draw unemployment. I do have empathy for them.
I Guess Its No Surprise Then
Delta Airlines desire to eliminate Legacy Air Service to Brainerd Airport ( BRD) and the remainder of the entire Northern MN area , excluding Duluth. One would think our first and hopefully last Tea Party Congressional Representative in DC ( Chip Craavack ) would be doing something besides relocating his family home to the East Coast.Out of sight out of mind I guess.At least we all know what Michelle Bachmann has been up to representing her MN district in Iowa.
scary
what if those 7000 haven't given up yet an are looking for work? are they unemployed or just dicouraged?
the first thing libs say is the pubby's did it first. get a new line plese.
chip's working on his 3rd pension/retirement check
Let's vote him out and deny him the opportunity.
about Bachmann
Anyone notice that she touts herself as an Iowan? Let's make her one. She will fit in there. She could be governor there, I bet.
Even a newscaster called her an Iowan. When questioned, he said, "well, she was born here."
She doesn't even want to be identified as a Minnesotan.
my teeth still hurt
screecher.
screech:
obamby will count............. them as jobs created. That's an O'Bummer.
Bachmann, BUHBYE
Can't even win a caucus from your home state, please go away....
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/republicans/a/michele-bachmann-quotes...
Fellow Alumni Gazelka is next in 2012?
Trends.
i didn't think White Bear could vote
for any of them dutch. are you the guy tryin to plug the leak? or did you ride the bus to vote?
Well if you stop the hand
Well if you stop the hand outs after years maybe it will force the to find a job, not to hard, jobs all over ND, but people are to lazy to go get them.
Yup, I can vote out fellow Roger Chamberlain
Another Grover Norquist buddy.
It's gonna be more Grover Role Over Losses in 2012.
Compromises and moderates gain traction.
I was
on unempolyment for a while after being laid off from my job. I had no option to move to find other work and had to take an extension before I finally managed to land another good job. Some people are bleeding it, but for people like me who were forced out of their career and continously look for work this is completely unfair!
About those ND jobs in oil fields
Before you go, check out these three articles - especially the last one. Some realities about living there, esp. if you're thinking of taking your family:
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/02/142695152/oil-boom-puts-strain-on-north-da...
http://www.startribune.com/local/131923403.html?page=1&c=y
North Dakota Oil Boom Raises Rents, Pushing Seniors Out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/north-dakota-rent-oil-boom-rai_...
Nothing worthwhile in life is
Nothing worthwhile in life is easy. So you go up there for a while without your family and suck it up. Kinda like when you join the military. They are building up there like crazy, but when there is enough housing available, there may not be as many job openings. The idea is to get your foot in the door.
Brainerd Unemployment
A note on Brainerd's 11.7% unemployment rate. It seems those who are unemployed currently have no hirable skills. I ponied up the $250 to run an ad in the Dispatch. I ran ads on Google, Facebook and Monster. After 2 weeks looking for an employee I had <10 applicants. Had to throw out 8 of them for having recent DUIs!! It's good to know there are no currently unemployed construction workers in the Brainerd/Baxter area.
Kevin Kleinschmidt
Tj Specialty Construction llc.
http://tjspecialtyconstruction.com/index.cfm/employment
Kevin
You want someone with 5 years experience. When I was unemployed I had one degree and another in the making and still had trouble finding a job. The job I was laid off from had no openings in that area period. Jobs I knew I could do I had to have years experience in. Well I spent four years in a career, I didn't have time to get experience in every other field. People need jobs they can get trained in on. If it doesn't work out and they aren't learning it, fine. However, there are plenty of people out there like me that have the ability to learn an entire new job with ease. Its just hard for people just out of college, high school or starting over to get a job when they are required to have a bunch of experience.
for kjkleins
That's great! The direct approach. I like it. Remove comma after "motivated" on your website ad, though:
"We are looking for a motivated, self-starter..."
In language as in construction, precision is quietly everything.
--unemployed copy editor
To lil_cowgirl
Advice at the Job Center was good on that point: most--not all, but most--job ads contain the employer's complete wish-list, and most know they won't get all they ask for--in this case, maybe not 5 years' experience, if that's what they stated. Some things they must have (very clean records); other items are negotiable. Don't give up just on reading the ad. Try anyway. You may have skills they didn't realize they'd like to have and forgot to list--if you can just get that interview in person. It's usually just about being a good fit with the team.
So, if a partial match, combined with willingness to pick up missing skill fast (with proof you can do it--have learned fast elsewhere), give it a try. Apply. Many times. One of them will hit the right match in the right mood on the right day. Things happne the way they are supposed to; our job is to stay ready, be ready. It's going to be okay.