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St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report, Vol. 24, No. 2, King Banaian, Mana Komai

St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report

St. Cloud area unemployment reached its lowest point since measurement began in 1990, registering at 1.8% in April 2022. Area economic growth was very strong in the months leading out of the Omicron wave of the pandemic, with a majority of survey respondents reporting higher business activity in the February to April period. Over 70% reported paying higher wages and charging higher prices for their goods and services. 5 of 6 leading indicators were positive. In special questions, more than 70% of surveyed businesses did not lay off workers but of those that did a majority did not return many …

St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report Vol. 20 No. 2, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report

Despite heightened uncertainty from recent retail store closings, looming na­tional tariff policies and the future clo­sure of Electrolux, area firms continue to report strong optimism about future business activity. Area firms reported continuing difficulty attracting qualified workers, which appears to be restraining local employment growth. Local employ­ment grew at a tepid 0.4 percent rate over the year ending April 2018 as worker shortages limit firms' growth poten­tial. The manufacturing, education/health, wholesale trade, and transportation/warehousing/utilities sectors led local job growth, while the retail trade, mining/logging/construction, and leisure/hospitality sectors' employ­ment contracted.

A new St. Cloud Index of Leading Economic Indicators is unveiled …

St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report Vol. 19, No. 4, King Banaian, Richard A. Macdonald

St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report

St. Cloud-area businesses continue to experience steady growth, and the local six-month-ahead economic outlook remains strong. Payroll data indicates overall St. Cloud metropolitan area employment grew at a 1.6 percent annual rate over the year ending October 2017. The construction sector once again led local job growth, followed by strong gains in wholesale trade and the educational and health sector employment. The financial activities, information, government, transportation/warehousing/utilities and re­tail trade sectors all experienced year-over-year job losses. The leading economic indicator series declined slightly over the last quarter. Surveyed firms indicate strong busi­ness activity in the current quarter with higher capital …