News Cut: The Unemployed

Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 7.6 million to 15.1 million. In Minnesota in September, 4,000 people gave up their quest for work. The unemployment rate isn't a number. It's individuals with life stories to tell. Bob Collins tells their stories…

Special Series: Stress-testing the Recovery

Minnesota's jobless rate is lower than the national average, but some parts of the state have endured double-digit unemployment during the recession.

MPR News reporters visited several communities that face some of the toughest economic problems to be found in Minnesota to test the strength and breadth of an economic recovery. Read more…

Your Jobs Story

Click on the map icons to read what Minnesotans in MPR's Public Insight Network have been telling us about the job climate around them. Then share your own story.