Jan. 2, 2025

The unemployment rate in the Sioux Falls metro area was unchanged at 1.5 percent in November compared with the previous month.

For the Sioux Falls metro area, which includes Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties, the 1.5 percent rate represents 2,561 unemployed people, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation. In October, the number of unemployed was 2,427.

The jobless rate, which is not seasonally adjusted and is preliminary, represents 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.

The total labor force for the Sioux Falls MSA, those who are employed and unemployed, was 166,590 in November, a slight increase from 166,533 the previous month.

A year ago, the metro area jobless rate was 1.5 percent, with 2,523 people who were unemployed out of a labor force of 166,354.

The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 17,160 people in the metro area, basically unchanged from 17,170 in October. That includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.

The number of job openings in the Sioux Falls MSA dropped to 13,477 in November, according to the state’s virtual labor market data system. There were 14,848 open positions the previous month. A year ago, there were 14,230 openings.

Nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls MSA fell by 900 people to 171,900 from October to November. The biggest decline was leisure and hospitality, down 5.4 percent, or 900 jobs.

The subcategory of transportation, warehousing and utilities saw the biggest percentage increase at 1.2 percent, a gain of 100 jobs.

Compared with a year ago, overall nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels were down by 2,200 workers in the MSA.

South Dakota’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 1.9 percent in November and once again was the lowest rate in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The next-lowest rates were North Dakota and Vermont at 2.4 percent. Nevada had the highest jobless rate at 5.7 percent.

The state’s jobless rate, which is seasonally adjusted, represents 9,200 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 2.1 percent, and there were 9,900 unemployed South Dakotans.

In November, South Dakota’s labor force rose by 1,100 people to 486,200 from the previous month. A year ago, it was 481,700.

The labor supply, those who would be available to staff a new or expanding business, was estimated at 50,330 people. That’s up from 45,585 in October and includes people who are not working and those who would like to change jobs.

The national unemployment rate rose to 4.2 percent in November from 4.1 percent in October. A year ago, the rate was 3.7 percent.