At his workforce development workshop in Sioux Falls yesterday, Governor Dennis Daugaard said, “Finding workforce is the key problem that’s faced by employers.”
So often do the stories covering the Governor’s workshop use the words wages, salary, and pay?
- KELO-TV story #1: once, quoting Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who says students have to pursue “Education that focuses on the skills demanded by the workforce, skills that lead to well-paying jobs.”
- KELO-TV story #2: zero.
- Mitchell Daily Republic: zero.
- Associated Press: once, quoting Sec. Acosta: “Many well-paying careers are available to those without a college degree.”
- KELO Radio: zero. (Note also the video of Governor Daugaard’s speech: at the beginning, when he lists all the good aspects of South Dakota’s economy, he doesn’t mention wages.)
- That Sioux Falls paper: zero.
The message from the Governor appears to be that if jobs are going unfilled, it’s the fault of students being “too dreamy” and not taking “concrete and realistic” classes. It’s the fault of schools not offering job-oriented classes. It’s the fault of government requiring too many licenses. It’s the fault of everybody but the employers who aren’t paying high enough wages to attract skilled workers.
Um…and this surprises us how? This is the same man that claims SD is the best place to live with the lowest cost of living – only by SD numbers and not national figures. Go figure….