Jan. 31, 2022

The unemployment rate for the Sioux Falls metro area rose to 2 percent in December, compared with 1.8 percent in November.

The jobless rate represents 3,232 residents in the four-county MSA who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. The total labor force, those who are employed and unemployed, is 158,401, according to statistics from the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation.

In November, there were 2,920 people who were unemployed out of a labor force of 159,252.

In December 2020, the unemployment rate was 3.1 percent, and there were 4,891 people who were out of work.

Nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the metro area dropped from November to December by 800 people to 161,100, a loss of less than 1 percent. The category of professional and business services saw the biggest drop at 6.8 percent, a loss of 1,100 workers from November. Year over year, those jobs are up 1.3 percent. Mining, logging and construction jobs dropped 6 percent in December, a loss of 700 workers. Compared with a year ago, the number of workers in that category is up 23.9 percent.

Education and health services saw the biggest gain in December at 2 percent, an increase of 700 workers from November.

Compared with a year ago, nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels are up 2.4 percent in the Sioux Falls area.

In the Sioux Falls area, there were 18,400 job openings in December, according to the state’s virtual labor market data system, which pulls in information from online job postings. That compares with 13,300 openings a year ago.

The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 2.6 percent in December, down from 2.7 percent in November. That represents 12,200 people who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. A year ago, the rate was 3.3 percent, and there were 15,500 unemployed South Dakotans.

Of the state’s 12 largest cities, Vermillion had the highest unemployment rate last month at 2.8 percent, followed by Brookings at 2.7 percent and Aberdeen at 2.6 percent. Brandon had the lowest rate at 1.8 percent.

The national unemployment rate in December was 3.9 percent, compared with 6.7 percent a year ago. It was 4.2 percent in November.