Minnesota added 10,700 jobs in March, the largest monthly gain in a year, and the state’s unemployment rate rose to 3.1%, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The state’s unemployment rate was up 0.1 percentage point from last month, and compared with 4.2% nationally, DEED said. The rise in unemployment, even though state added jobs, can be attributed to more people entering the workforce. More than 2,700 Minnesotans joined the labor force last month, bring the labor force participation rate to 68.2%. This measures the percentage of Minnesotans either working or actively seeking work, and is used to calculate the headline unemployment rate.

Minnesota’s overall job growth last month rose 0.4%, four times faster than the national rate of 0.1%; Minnesota’s private sector grew twice as fast as the U.S. overall.

“Minnesota’s job market has shown impressive resilience in the face of unprecedented uncertainty from the federal government,” DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek said in a statement. “This month we added jobs at a much faster rate than the nation as a whole as employers continue hiring, and more Minnesotans joined the labor force to look for work.”

Eight of 11 state employment supersectors gained jobs in March, with particularly strong growth in construction, up 1,900 jobs, or 1.4%. Government employment was up 1,500 over the month in March, with all growth coming from local and state governments. Federal employment was steady. Recent federal mass layoff announcements are not yet reflected in this data because these estimates are based on employers’ reporting of payroll jobs.

Minnesota has gained 37,581 jobs over the past year, faster than the national rate of growth. The private sector gained 29,579 jobs — in line with the national average.

“Minnesota has a diverse economy, allowing us to weather shifts in broader macroeconomic trends,” said Angelina Nguyen, director of DEED’s Labor Market Information Office.

Of alternative measures of unemployment, the broadest, called the U-6, increased to 6.9% in March, up from 6.6% in February and 5.4% a year ago, DEED said. This measure factors in people who have voluntarily left the labor force, such as stay-at-home parents, discouraged workers who have stopped seeking jobs, and part-time or otherwise marginally employed workers.

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Dave St. Peter, as was tradition, got on stage this January during the Twins’ media luncheon to speak about a variety of business topics. Among them, ticket sales.

“This year our target is two million-plus tickets,” St. Peter said in one of his last appearances as the Twins president. “It’s my belief we can get there in 2025, and hopefully well beyond.”

Through the first nine home games, attendance figures haven’t been promising, and on Monday the Twins announced an attendance of 10,240 fans for a loss to the New York Mets, the lowest of any game at Target Field not played during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, when there were restrictions on the number of fans through the gates because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In three games against the Mets, a big-market team that attracts local fans wherever they play, the Twins announced crowds of 10,240, 12,507 and 19,721 attendees. The team is currently averaging 17,995 fans per game, which was 24th in the majors as of Thursday afternoon.

Of course, April in Minnesota is never the best month for attendance, and those figures should rise as the weather warms up. But that number lags behind where the Twins were a season ago, when they drew an average of 19,595 fans per game through their first nine home games.

Last year’s collapse down the stretch combined with a slow start to the season — the Twins have won two in a row but are 7-12 — has not done much to help the matter.

The Twins have not drawn two million fans in a season since 2019, the year they won 101 games. To reach that mark, the team would need to average around 24,692 fans across 81 games. Attendance hit 1,974,124 in 2023 and dropped to 1,951,616 last year.

Injury updates

The Twins placed Matt Wallner on the injured list on Thursday retroactive to April 16 with a left hamstring strain. The outfielder suffered the injury in Tuesday’s game against the Mets legging out an infield hit.

To fill Wallner’s spot on the roster, the Twins added Jonah Bride, acquired Wednesday for cash from the Miami Marlins. Bride, a 29-year-old infielder, was off to a slow start at the plate — 4 for 40 through his first 12 games before being designated for assignment.

Last season, however, Bride hit .276 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in 71 games with the Marlins, and his . 120 OPS+ is 20 percent better than the league-average hitter.

There could be more roster moves coming soon.

The Twins will need to assess utilityman Willi Castro after Thursday’s off day. Castro left Wednesday’s game early with oblique tightness, a move which manager Rocco Baldelli said was precautionary.

Shortstop Carlos Correa has been dealing with a wrist issue after tweaking it on Tuesday. He appeared late in Wednesday’s game to play the field but did not hit. After the game, he said his wrist had been feeling better.

On the pitching side, the Twins announced rehab assignments for starter Pablo López (hamstring), who will pitch for Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday in Iowa, and Michael Tonkin (shoulder), who will start a rehab assignment on Friday at Class A Fort Myers.

Fellow reliever Brock Stewart (hamstring) has been rehabbing in Fort Myers, and pitching for the Mussels has struck out five of the six batters he has faced. He could be ready to rejoin the Twins’ bullpen soon.

And in Minneapolis, third baseman Royce Lewis, also dealing with a hamstring strain, was scheduled to do some light base running on Thursday. The Twins will have a better sense of a timeframe for Lewis, who got injured a month ago during a spring training game, based on how he responds this weekend.

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Dave St. Peter, as was tradition, got on stage this January during the Twins’ media luncheon to speak about a variety of business topics. Among them, ticket sales.

“This year our target is two million-plus tickets,” St. Peter said in one of his last appearances as the Twins president. “It’s my belief we can get there in 2025, and hopefully well beyond.”

Through the first nine home games, attendance figures haven’t been promising, and on Monday the Twins announced an attendance of 10,240 fans for a loss to the New York Mets, the lowest of any game at Target Field not played during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, when there were restrictions on the number of fans through the gates because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In three games against the Mets, a big-market team that attracts local fans wherever they play, the Twins announced crowds of 10,240, 12,507 and 19,721 attendees. The team is currently averaging 17,995 fans per game, which was 24th in the majors as of Thursday afternoon.

Of course, April in Minnesota is never the best month for attendance, and those figures should rise as the weather warms up. But that number lags behind where the Twins were a season ago, when they drew an average of 19,595 fans per game through their first nine home games.

Last year’s collapse down the stretch combined with a slow start to the season — the Twins have won two in a row but are 7-12 — has not done much to help the matter.

The Twins have not drawn two million fans in a season since 2019, the year they won 101 games. To reach that mark, the team would need to average around 24,692 fans across 81 games. Attendance hit 1,974,124 in 2023 and dropped to 1,951,616 last year.

Injury updates

The Twins placed Matt Wallner on the injured list on Thursday retroactive to April 16 with a left hamstring strain. The outfielder suffered the injury in Tuesday’s game against the Mets legging out an infield hit.

To fill Wallner’s spot on the roster, the Twins added Jonah Bride, acquired Wednesday for cash from the Miami Marlins. Bride, a 29-year-old infielder, was off to a slow start at the plate — 4 for 40 through his first 12 games before being designated for assignment.

Last season, however, Bride hit .276 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in 71 games with the Marlins, and his . 120 OPS+ is 20 percent better than the league-average hitter.

There could be more roster moves coming soon.

The Twins will need to assess utilityman Willi Castro after Thursday’s off day. Castro left Wednesday’s game early with oblique tightness, a move which manager Rocco Baldelli said was precautionary.

Shortstop Carlos Correa has been dealing with a wrist issue after tweaking it on Tuesday. He appeared late in Wednesday’s game to play the field but did not hit. After the game, he said his wrist had been feeling better.

On the pitching side, the Twins announced rehab assignments for starter Pablo López (hamstring), who will pitch for Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday in Iowa, and Michael Tonkin (shoulder), who will start a rehab assignment on Friday at Class A Fort Myers.

Fellow reliever Brock Stewart (hamstring) has been rehabbing in Fort Myers, and pitching for the Mussels has struck out five of the six batters he has faced. He could be ready to rejoin the Twins’ bullpen soon.

And in Minneapolis, third baseman Royce Lewis, also dealing with a hamstring strain, was scheduled to do some light base running on Thursday. The Twins will have a better sense of a timeframe for Lewis, who got injured a month ago during a spring training game, based on how he responds this weekend.

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Burnsville High School notified students and families Wednesday that its graduation date will remain on June 6, despite religious conflicts for some students and their families.

Community members urged the school board last week to reschedule graduation as it coincides with Eid al-Adha, one of the two most important Islamic holidays, but after hearing from the community the June 6 ceremony will continue as planned, according to a note sent to students and families from ISD 191 Superintendent Theresa Battle and BHS Principal Jesús Sandoval.

“While our goal in planning an academic calendar is to avoid major conflicts, at this time it’s not feasible to change the date of graduation to avoid these conflicts. In addition, it’s not clear that adding a second graduation ceremony would result in many students participating who wouldn’t otherwise participate in a Friday ceremony,” read the note.

The decision, which was made by Battle in consultation with the school board, took into consideration the “difficulty in rescheduling services like photography and livestreaming the ceremony, and other logistical concerns,” said Aaron Tinklenberg, communications director for the district, in an email Thursday.

“It’s disappointing,” Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said of the decision, calling it “another unnecessary burden on Muslims.”

Hussein also noted that this scheduling conflict only affects one group of seniors as Eid will likely not fall near a graduation date for another 30+ years. “There is absolutely no requirement for them to hold (graduation) on June 6,” he said.

Eid al-Adha, the second of the two most important festivals in Islam, commemorates the sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim. Generally a three-day celebration, the dates of Eid al-Adha vary based on moon sightings. This year it is expected to occur June 6 to June 10, according to Islamic Relief Worldwide, a faith-based development agency.

Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha, also known as the “Feast of Sacrifice,” with special prayers and by giving gifts and food to the poor. The other major festival, Eid al-Fitr, celebrating the end of Ramadan fasting, was observed at the end of March.

Second ceremony considered

At a listening session last week that preceded a school board meeting, community members spoke out against the planned graduation date.

“This issue isn’t just about ISD 191, it’s about who we are as a community,” said Salma Hussein, the principal of Gideon Pond Elementary School in Burnsville. “Rescheduling graduation to recognize Eid sends a powerful message that every student matters.”

Tinklenberg said Burnsville’s June 6 graduation date has been set for nearly two years and noted the district does not keep track of students’ religious identifications.

Tinklenberg said the district had heard from Muslim students and families “who preferred we kept graduation on June 6.”

Burnsville seniors were asked Monday if they’d be more likely to attend graduation if a second ceremony was scheduled on Monday, June 2. Of the roughly 200 responses, 76% said they’d be more likely to attend June 6 and 12% said June 2, Tinklenberg said.

ISD 191 serves about 8,000 students, 14% of whom speak Somali at home, the Sahan Journal reported in 2022. More than 99% of Somalia’s population are Sunni Muslim, according to a 2023 report from the U.S. State Department.

Eden Prairie rescheduled

Burnsville was not the first school to hear this particular concern.

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Eden Prairie Schools originally scheduled its graduation for June 7, but reconsidered after hearing similar concerns, as reported by Eden Prairie Local News, which also noted that an estimated 20% of Eden Prairie’s high school students are Muslim.

After sending out three alternate dates, Eden Prairie rescheduled its ceremony to June 4, which was chosen by 84% of seniors, according to the school.

“As we create future calendars, the district will continue to solicit input from a variety of sources with the goal of supporting equitable access and high participation among students for regular school days and major events like graduation,” the note to Burnsville families said.