More Americans filed for jobless claims last week.  Applications for unemployment benefits rose by 13,000 to 231,000 for the week ending Nov. 11 according to the Labor Department.  That’s the most in three months.  Overall, 1.87 million people were collecting unemployment benefits.

— — —

Preliminary labor force statistics put North Dakota’s October 2023 not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at 1.4%.  That compares to 1.3% in September and 1.4% one year ago.  According to North Dakota Job Service a total of 5,698 residents were in search of work last month.  Of the three metro areas, Bismarck and Fargo reported the lowest unemployment rates at 1.4%, while Grand Forks posted a rate of 1.6%.

— — —

Minnesota gained 7,000 jobs from September to October, outpacing national job growth, according to numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Minnesota reached its highest number of jobs on record at 3,001,300 in October, the first month when the seasonally adjusted jobs estimate surpassed 3 million.

— — —

The Minnesota Department of Revenue has released preliminary property tax levies that have been reported by local governments and passed by local school referenda.  The 2024 preliminary property tax levies for cities total approximately $3.462 billion – up 8.4% increase.   The list shows East Grand Forks at 11%…Thief River Falls 10%…Crookston 67%…Oslo 25%…Warren 103%…and Fosston at 6.8%.  Truth-in-Taxation meetings will be held in November and December.  Local governments must set their final 2024 levies by December 28th.

— — —

Minnesotans and North Dakotans are among the states with the highest average credit scores according to an analysis by WalletHub.  The financial website says Minnesota had top billing while North Dakota ranked 6th and South Dakota held down the 8th spot.  Minnesota scored well for having a stable economy, good job market, and relatively low household debt.      Full report:  https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-highest-lowest-credit-scores/79466/

— — —

Minnesota had an estimated 3.8 OSHA-recordable nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers in 2022.  The industries with the highest total injury and illness rate were:  state government hospitals, private industry performing arts, spectator sports and related industries, state government nursing and residential care facilities.  Minnesota’s employment covered by the survey was approximately 2.79 million workers.

— — —

The North Dakota Department of Commerce has announce a new grant program for rural communities and organizations that want to increase the availability and affordability of housing for their workforce.  Applicants can apply for grants of up to $300,000 per community.  The Rural Workforce Housing Grant portal will open on November 20, 2023, and will accept applications until January 8, 2024.

— — —

Honda is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles in the U.S. because bearings can fail, causing the engines to stall and increasing the risk of a crash. The recall covers certain 2018 and 2019 Honda Pilot SUVs and Odyssey minivans, and some 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline pickup trucks.  The automaker says in documents that it has no reports of injuries.

— — —

Target reported a third-quarter profit increase that handily beat Wall Street expectations.  Revenue slipped more than 4%, however, with customers saddled with broadly higher costs as the holiday season nears. The Minnesota-based retailer has been trying to right itself after loading up with too much inventory last summer and was forced to discount heavily to clear it.

— — —

Thanksgiving dinner will cost a bit less this year.  The American Farm Bureau figures the average holiday dinner for 10 will cost $61.17 cents — or around 6 dollars 12 cents per person. That’s a 4.5% decrease from last year’s record-high average of 64.05 for the meal.