Minnesota's November unemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous month, according to figures released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). The state's unemployment rate held at 7.1 percent-almost 3 percent lower than the national rate of 9.8 percent.

While the state lost 5,100 jobs during the month, October figures were revised, with another 1,900 jobs added to the previously reported 14,100 jobs gained. So far this year, the state has added about 44,800 jobs, a growth rate of 1.7 percent—more than twice the U.S. pace of 0.6 percent.

Sectors that lost jobs include leisure and hospitality (down 4,000), financial activities (down 2,900), trade, transportation, and utilities (down 2,100), other services (down 1,400), education and health services (down 700), construction (down 600), and information (down 200).

Job gains in November occurred in government (up 3,500), manufacturing (up 1,800), and professional and business services (up 1,500). Logging and mining employment remained unchanged during the month.

“While we had hoped for stronger employment growth last month, Minnesota has consistently outperformed the national economy over the past year,” DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy said in a statement. “Manufacturing, in particular, has been a bright spot, adding 12,900 jobs in the state in the past 12 months.”

Along with manufacturing, sectors that added jobs in the past year include education and health services (up 13,400), professional and business services (up 12,200), leisure and hospitality (up 10,300), trade, transportation and utilities (up 5,800), information (up 2,900), and logging and mining (up 500).

However, jobs were shed over the year in construction (down 5,300), financial activities (down 3,500), other services (down 2,800), and government (down 1,700).

Among the state's metro areas, Rochester saw the largest employment growth in the past year (up 1.6 percent), followed closely by the Twin Cities at 1.3 percent. Duluth-Superior and Mankato both saw growth of 0.9 percent, while jobs in St. Cloud declined by 0.1 percent.