Nov. 2, 2021

The unemployment rate for the Sioux Falls metro area dropped to 1.9 percent in September — the lowest it has been since October 2000, when the rate was 1.8 percent.

September’s rate, which is preliminary, is down from 2.4 percent in August, according to statistics from the South Dakota Department of Labor & Regulation. That represents 2,973 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 159,345.

In August, there were 3,915 people who were unemployed out of a labor force of 162,286.

In September 2020, the unemployment rate was 3.3 percent, and there were 5,207 people who were out of work.

According to labor supply statistics, in addition to the unemployed pool, there are 11,825 people who are employed but willing to change jobs and 120 “discouraged workers,” those who want a job but had not looked in the previous month because they believed no jobs were available to them or there were none for which they would qualify.

According to South Dakota Works, the Labor Department’s listing of job openings, there are more than 6,300 available positions in Sioux Falls. Sanford Health has the most with 851 jobs, and Avera has the second-most with 828 jobs.

Nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the metro area changed in September as the tourism season ended and students left retail jobs to return to school. Numbers fell by 1,500 people from August to September to 161,300. Leisure and hospitality saw the biggest percentage decline at 4.7 percent, a loss of 700 workers. The subcategory of retail trade had the second-largest drop at 2.2 percent, losing 400 workers.

Only two industries saw growth: government at 1.4 percent, a gain of 200 workers, and professional and business services at 1.3 percent, also an addition of 200 workers.

Compared with a year ago, nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels are up 2.5 percent in the Sioux Falls metro area.

The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 2.9 percent in September, unchanged from August. That represents 13,500 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 4 percent, and there were 19,200 unemployed South Dakotans.

The state’s jobless rate is the third lowest in the U.S. Only Nebraska at 2 percent and Utah at 2.4 percent are better. At 2.9 percent, South Dakota is tied with Oklahoma, New Hampshire and Vermont.

The national unemployment rate in September was 4.8 percent, compared with 7.8 percent a year ago. It was 5.2 percent in August.