July 8, 2024

The Sioux Falls metro area has tied for the lowest unemployment rate in the country in May at 1.7 percent.

Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont, had the same rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The metro area with the highest rate was El Centro, California, at 15.4 percent.

For the Sioux Falls metro area, which includes Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties, May’s rate is down from 1.8 percent in April, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation.

The Sioux Falls unemployment rate, which is not seasonally adjusted and is preliminary, represents 2,873 residents who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. It also includes those who have been laid off temporarily. In April, the number of unemployed was 2,911.

The total labor force for the Sioux Falls MSA, those who are employed and unemployed, was 165,476 in May, up from 163,938 the previous month.

A year ago, the metro area jobless rate was 1.8 percent, with 2,958 people who were unemployed out of a labor force of 165,805.

The number of job openings in the Sioux Falls MSA dropped to 12,445 in May, according to the state’s virtual labor market data system. There were 13,218 open positions the previous month. A year ago, there were 16,827 openings.

Nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls MSA rose by 2,000 people to 173,500 from April to May. The category of leisure and hospitality saw the biggest increase at 6.2 percent, or 1,000 jobs, followed by information at 4 percent, or 100 jobs. The biggest decline was 1.5 percent in the category of other services, which does not include public administration, at a loss of 100 jobs.

Compared with a year ago, overall nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels were up by 800 workers in the MSA.

South Dakota’s unemployment rate was unchanged in May at 2 percent.

That’s the lowest rate for the country in a tie with North Dakota, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The District of Columbia had the highest unemployment rate at 5.3 percent.

The state’s jobless rate, which is seasonally adjusted, represents 9,600 people who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work, along with those laid off temporarily, according to the state Labor Department. A year ago, the rate was 1.9 percent, and there were 9,300 unemployed South Dakotans.

In May, South Dakota’s labor force rose by 100 people to 481,600 from the previous month. A year ago, it was 480,500.

The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 40,950 people. That’s up from 40,715 in April and includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.

The national unemployment rate rose to 4 percent in May from 3.9 percent in April. A year ago, the rate was 3.7 percent.

The next Stroll Sioux Falls Hiring Event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 18 at the Job Service office at 811 E. 10th St. Businesses are invited to sign up by calling Alicyn Even at 605-789-4408 or Paul Robson at 605-910-4833 at the Sioux Falls Job Service office.

All hiring events are offered to businesses and job-seekers for free.