(The Center Square) – South Dakota’s unemployment rate remains unchanged at 1.9% as its labor force continues to increase, new data shows.
The state’s labor force grew by 1,600 workers in April while the level of unemployed individuals decreased by 200, the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation reported.
The data shows a breakdown of the April 2023 seasonally adjusted statewide labor force and both seasonal and not seasonal adjusted statewide nonfarm data.
There were 9,000 unemployed South Dakotans when the data was collected, a decrease of 200.
The employment level increased by 3,500 compared to the same month last year, while the level of unemployed decreased by 100. The unemployment rate remains the same as last year at 1.9%, DLR said.
Meanwhile, the national unemployment rate sits at 3.4%, slightly lower than the March unemployment rate of 3.5%. The national labor force has also increased over the year, showing a growth of 2.7 million people.
In South Dakota, the seasonally adjusted nonfarm worker level increased by 11,100 workers over the year – a growth of 2.5%. The job sectors contributing the most to this growth were retail trade, which added 2,100 workers; leisure and hospitality, which added 1,700 workers, wholesale trade, with 1,400 more workers, and government, which also grew by 1,400 workers, according to DLR.
Only two job sectors saw a decrease in workers over the year. Those were in manufacturing non-durable goods and in financial activities, according to the April report.
Despite an unemployment rate below the national average, South Dakota, like most of its neighboring states, faces a severe worker shortage, with only 34 available workers for every 100 job openings, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.