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About 16.5% of Freeborn County’s labor force has applied for unemployment insurance since the middle of March, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Of that total, about 1,000 applied in the last month, pushing the county’s total unemployment applicants to 2,666.

Of that number, more than half — 1,440 — are female, and 1,226 are male, records state.

The state agency does not have numbers immediately available for the number of employees who have returned to work.

Occupations affected high on the list include metal and plastic workers, office and administrative support workers, building cleaning and pest control workers; nursing, psychiatric and home health aides; vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics; other installation, maintenance and repair occupations; financial clerks; and food processing workers, among others.

The county’s unemployment numbers are similar to neighboring counties, which range from 14.2% in Mower County to 18.3% in Waseca County. Larger counties, such as Blue Earth and Olmsted counties, have rates around 20%. Faribault County has had 17.1% of its labor force apply for unemployment, and Steele County has had 17.7%.

Across the state, more than 640,936 people have applied for unemployment insurance in the last month. The age group with the highest number of applicants are people ages 25 through 34, followed by people ages 35 to 44.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate is at 14.7%, the highest since the Great Depression.

 

Area unemployment applications

Blue Earth County: 8,348 people, 20.3%

Freeborn County: 2,666 people, 16.5%

Faribault County: 1,212 people, 17.1%

Mower County: 2,929 people, 14.2%

Olmsted County: 18,372 people, 20.5%

Steele County: 3,625 people, 17.7%

Waseca County: 1,624 people, 18.3%

— Information from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development