South Dakota’s unemployment rate remains below the national average
(The Center Square) – South Dakota saw a slight dip in the number of first-time unemployment claims for the week ending Dec. 18, according to the latest job numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The number of claims dropped from 456 to 451. Continuing unemployment claims increased by 218 from 1,310 to 1,528, according to the Labor Department.
South Dakota’s unemployment rate for November 2021 was 2.7%, below the national average of 4.2%, according to the state’s Department of Labor and Regulation. Statistics showed a slight drop in the number of workers to 471,000.
The low unemployment rate and job increases can be attributed to the state staying open when others shut down during the pandemic, Gov. Kristie Noem said in her budget address earlier this month.
“We have about 28,000 open jobs but not enough people trained to fill them,” Noem said. “If we want our businesses to stay in South Dakota and to grow in South Dakota we need qualified workers who can fill those jobs.”
The number of seasonally adjusted initial claims filed in the U.S. the week ending Dec. 18 was 205,000, according to the Labor Department.
The number of continuing unemployment claims in the U.S. dropped 8,000 from the previous week to 1,859,000 for the week ending Dec. 11. It’s the lowest level since March 14, 2020, according to the Labor Department.
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