The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to 310,000, a pandemic low and a sign that the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant has yet to lead to widespread layoffs. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims dropped from a revised total of 345,000 the week before. The number of applications has fallen steadily since topping 900,000 in early January.
The Labor Market Information Center has released the latest Online Job Openings Report (OJOR), a monthly summary of online job openings and active résumés from Job Service North Dakota’s labor exchange system. North Dakota had a total of 17,519 open and available online job openings in August 2021, a change of -3.1 percent (-559) from the prior month and +33.5 percent (+4,396) from the same month one year ago.
Minnesota exports of agricultural, mining and manufactured products jumped 29% over the year to $6 billion in the second quarter of 2021, according to a report released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). State exports increased $1.3 billion over the second quarter of 2020.
Average long-term mortgage rates were marginally higher this week as the recovering economy appeared stalled against the backdrop of a wave of new delta variant coronavirus cases. They remained under 3%. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the average rate for a 30-year mortgage edged up to 2.88% from 2.87% last week. The rate for a 15-year loan ticked up to 2.19% from 2.18% last week.
Home sales held steady in August. According to the Grand Forks Area Association of realtors 97 homes and townhomes exchanged hands last month. The average sales price was $286,000. There were 103 sales in Grand Forks / East Grand Forks during August 2020.
The University of North Dakota has received a $45,000 RAPID Grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct fog measurements. The grant will support two month-long observational periods near Hector International Airport in Fargo, N.D. Fog is a major nuisance and can be extremely dangerous for land and air travel alike. The observations will take place this fall and next spring.
The search for the next NDSU leader resumes this coming week. The NDSU Presidential Search Committee will meet on Tuesday. The group is expected to meet with consultants regarding recruitment options and a draft search ad.
Amazon says it will pay the full college tuition for hourly workers starting next year, as competition to hire and retain those workers gets fierce. Other companies, including Walmart and Target, have recently started to pay for college or boost their existing programs. The job market is tight, and employers have been offering all kinds of incentives and perks to snag hourly workers, including raising pay and offering bonuses.
Alerus Center has partnered with Peterson Farms Seed to create a new premium seating area at select events. The new space, dubbed the Peterson Porch, is located on the second floor bridge that runs along the south wall of the arena. The Peterson Porch is set to make its concert debut on September 17th. A ribbon cutting for Peterson porch is set for Wednesday.
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