South Dakota has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. The number of unemployed is back to pre-pandemic levels with the May 2021 estimate of 12,900 people which is 19,300 less than in May of 2020.
Marcia Hultman is the secretary of the Department of Labor and Regulation. She says the pandemic had an impact, but the speculative data looks positive.
“We have increased by 11,300 participants in the workforce. So, that’s good. That’s showing that individuals are getting back into the workforce, maybe after a long absence or maybe a short term during the pandemic.”
Hultman says much of the hard data about unemployment and workforce numbers coming out of the pandemic won’t be available for roughly six months.
This story comes from a recent interview on SDPB's weekday radio program, "In the Moment." Listen to the full interview below.