Minnesota's unemployment rate ticks down to 8.6 percent in June

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota's unemployment rate ticked down to 8.6 percent in June, but is nowhere close to returning to pre-pandemic levels.
 
In May, the jobless rate was 9.9 percent, the highest in the state's recorded history. It was 2.9 percent in March before the crisis started.
 
Minnesota reported adding 82,000 jobs in June. The state lost a total of 258,000 jobs between February and May.
 
Fears of another round of business closures and job losses have started anew as the coronavirus flares in several U.S. states. 
 
In Minnesota, the infection rate has ticked upward over the past two weeks. Gov. Tim Walz has said he's considering a statewide mask mandate, but has not moved toward new closures.