Minn. officials give update on unemployment rate

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota has had three straight months with a falling unemployment rate. Officials prepared to say Thursday if the streak would go on.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development were set to release the state unemployment rate for October. September's jobless rate was 7.3 percent — a steep drop from the month before.

Last month, officials attributed the dropping rate partly to a large number of people who gave up looking for work. The state labor force has seen a net reduction recently.

Still, Minnesota's jobless rate has stayed well beneath the national average. The nation's October figure was 10.2 percent.