South Dakota’s unemployment ticked down to 2.8% in April, meaning the difficulty you’ll have finding available workers is about the same as it’s been in South Dakota for the last five years.
As additional evidence that expanded unemployment benefits are responsible for that tight labor market, the Bureau of Finance and Management presented data to the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors Wednesday that shows our workforce participation rate is back near where it was pre-pandemic:
Right through the pandemic and recession, South Dakotans have continued to participate in the workforce at a rate seven to eight percentage points higher than the national average. Our workforce participation dropped less at the onset of the pandemic but dropped more while the national posted an early partial recovery. I don’t have a quick explanation for those alternate trajectories.
But the current reality appears to be that South Dakota’s workforce woes are not arising from lots of South Dakotans staying home and collecting fat government checks. We’re already out there busting our humps in greater numbers than the national average. Even higher wages from our skinflint crony-capitalist class may not pull more applicants from the woodwork, as those who would work have already up and left for better pay elsewhere, and the folks allegedly flocking here for the Freedom™ aren’t applying to do the work we need done.
Any info on “Dual Jobholder” workforce numbers? I know of some people who worked 8-5 pre-Covid who have not gone back to there previous part time job.
Well it used to be that some people would say that Capitalism is the worst system, but better than all the others and other such nonsense. China is Capitalistic now, isn’t that wonderful. Everyone used to believe that Capitolism and Democracy were intertwined. How foolish was that, we have Capitalistic dictatorships all over the world and the Republican party is a wanna be. Thanks Milton.
Imagine paying 20 bucks an hour.starting out what would that attract.
Well…one look at the graph and you know South Dakotans are hard working people. One issue is that many South Dakotans (not only small towners) have a different perspective on employment than metro folks. Ask them where they are working and they’ll say, “Well, Roy Higgins over at the plant had a big order come in so I went over there and I’m helping out.” This 8 to 5 “helping out” job may be in addition to several other “part time gigs” also performed by the worker which may also add up to 30 or 40 hours a week but which are self directed or which supply needed expertise or a tool needed for someone else to complete a job. Again, these gigs are often “helping out”, sometimes for pay and sometimes for barter.Not only is the “Labor Force Participation” high in South Dakota, so is the number of workers who are “self employed but also multiply employed by multiple employers”. It’s a survival strategy in a low wage state, but their is also a bit of self reliance in it. As in, ” I was helping out over at the plant but Roy Higgins got on my butt, so I told him to stuff it. I’ve got enough to do.”
Dual-jobholders, MTR? Very good question. The BFM data did not show any analysis on that question, but it would be very interesting to get that data and see if folks who were holding down two jobs have changed their priorities due to coronavirus. Maybe those dualists (dualies?) saw how their multiple employers responded to coronavirus, chose to stick with the employer who protected them from the pandemic and chose to do without the job that exposed them to more risk than their second paycheck warranted. Maybe the pandemic got a lot of those dualists to make due with their single paycheck… and maybe now the hiring crunch isn’t because there are lazy people sitting out of the workforce, but because the pool of folks already working 40 hours a week who are willing to take another 10 or 20 hours a week for someone else has dried up.
Soooo, when it appears that in South Dakota (to our governess Noem and Mr. Goodwin of our legislature) Labor might be “gettin’ somepin’ for nuttin’ ” they (the above named) are quick to tell the feds to “stuff it”- “our people don’t need it-it’ll just spoil ’em”!
But when it comes to taking money from the feds that can go directly to businesses (esp. the cronies) we are squealing like pigs to get in line first for the handout.
Arlo, you are “right on” again!
Vermont, Northern Mississippi and the corn shucking state had the highest rates of dual jobholders and were near the very lowest in unemployment.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/01/21/states-people-working-two-jobs/4719485/
Kinda shoots a certain Grudzilla’s mantra about getting another job, you lazy deadfbeats.in the poantaloons.
Cut off the unemployment spigot. That will make some of the lazy people get back to work.
This link compares 2014 and-15 and shows Northern Mississippi with the highest rate of dual jobholders with iowa second.
It also says north central states tend to have the highest rates of dual jobholders and have since estimates first became available in 1994.
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2017/article/multiple-jobholding-in-states-in-2015.htm
Can’t seem to find newer data.
So Grudz, your actually going back to work?
I see the live-like-a-king-in-SD effect happening as people working from home move here from Minnesota or California, driving up housing prices. I also notice that these new immigrants are keeping those Minnesota/California wages and not resigning those jobs/those wages to embrace in the whole living in SD experience. Perhaps those are the people grudznick ought to be lambasting to take the available jobs in SD in lieu of their blue/union-state wages.
Of course Minnesootians and Californians are moving to South Dakota to take advantage of our great standards of living. Let us hope they all just stay in Sioux Falls and Brookings.
My dear grudznick, if SD has such a great standard of living, why then is it only the employed able to hold on to their blue/union state wages (or retired) who seek to move here? Why are the unemployed from other states not coming here to snatch up SD’s unfilled jobs? It seems the wage discussion that you and you fellow righties want to avoid keeps rising up — even as you try to ignore or suppress it.
grudz, all the complaints I’ve heard about “foreigners” moving in to SD and trying to change it are coming from my friends in the Hills. You know – the ones who moved there from Minnesota 10 years ago.
great standards of attacking women and denying them their constitutional right to make their own healthcare decisions? Lowest teacher pay in the nation, again? One of the poorest educated guvs in the nation? Virtually no government oversight and accountability? Low tax/low service economy? Phony kristian run government?
grudz, lets cut off your socialist government pension while we’re at it. You seem to have plenty of time and energy available to re-enter the labor force.
One question is, “Why are people in SD lazier than people in liberal states?” Why does your state have to cut off benefits to starve people back to their lower wage jobs?
Liberal states aren’t cutting off UI benefits. My state is paying workers a $1600 sign on bonus on top of lucrative sign on bonuses, offered by top corporations.
One reason capitalism is superior to communism is capitalism has a built in method for handling shortages. Communist workers stand in line and wait for an opportunity to purchase items in short demand, due to worker shortages.
Capitalist workers, when their skills are in high demand, are simply paid more to make their choices more informed and rewarded.
I asked,, “Why are people in SD lazier than people in liberal states?” Why does your state have to cut off benefits to starve people back to their lower wage jobs?”
The answer is, SD workers aren’t lazier than liberal state workers.
South Dakota politicians just have a mean streak the size of a South Dakota hangover!
Mr. Schriever, I must know many of your friends or have them as neighbors. As a native of the Black Hills, grudznick would also like them all to move back to Minnesota.