Jobs

COMMENTARY
Gov. Kristi Noem recruits welders to move to South Dakota in one of her office's Freedom Works Here campaign ads. (Courtesy of Governor's Office)

Now it’s the Legislature’s turn to try to scale the Noem wall of silence

BY: - December 2, 2023

It’s likely that journalists in South Dakota allowed themselves a few self-satisfied chuckles last month. This mirth was inspired by watching the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee fail to get the information it was seeking about the Freedom Works Here campaign from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The Freedom Works Here campaign advertisements, which have run […]

Gov. Kristi Noem recruits welders to move to South Dakota in one of her office's Freedom Works Here campaign ads. (Courtesy of Governor's Office)

Noem announces second phase of workforce campaign after legislators question first phase

BY: - November 15, 2023

Governor Kristi Noem on Wednesday announced a $1.5 million second phase of a national workforce recruitment campaign that has featured her as the star, after lawmakers expressed concerns earlier this week about a $5 million contract for the first phase. “We are continuing to recruit Freedom-loving Americans from across the country to come live and […]

The Legislature's Appropriations Committee meets Nov. 13, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Some lawmakers frustrated by lack of specific data from governor’s workforce campaign

BY: - November 13, 2023

PIERRE — Some lawmakers expressed frustration Monday upon learning the state’s $5 million workforce recruitment campaign — which includes television ads featuring Gov. Kristi Noem — is not directly measuring how many workers it recruits.  Members of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee heard a report from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development that included information on […]

The U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, March 27, 2022 (Marisa Demarco/Source New Mexico)

Millions more workers would receive overtime pay under proposed Biden administration rule

BY: - September 7, 2023

Salaried workers who have been ineligible for overtime pay would benefit from a proposed Biden administration regulation. The Department of Labor’s new rule would require employers compensate full-time workers in management, administrative, or other professional roles for any overtime worked if they make less than $55,068 annually. Currently, the salary threshold is $35,568. The change […]

A person walks past a "Join our team today!" sign posted at a UPS store on Feb. 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Job growth exceeds economists’ expectations as unemployment inches up

BY: - September 3, 2023

The labor market is stable and healthy, economists and policy experts say, although the unemployment rate ticked up in the month of August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report released Friday showed that unemployment rose to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July. Meanwhile the economy added 187,000 jobs, above expectations of 170,000 jobs from […]

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, left, tours the Manitou Madison manufacturing plant on June 26, 2023, with plant manager Jeff Minnaert. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Leaning into pay and diversity, manufacturer expands amid workforce shortage

BY: - June 27, 2023

MADISON — A manufacturer conducting a $60 million expansion in South Dakota says it’s attacking a workforce shortage by raising pay and embracing diversity. Manitou is a manufacturer of construction equipment based out of France. It is expanding its operations in Madison and Yankton and will add about 125 jobs between the two sites. Currently, 510 […]

A company advertises a help wanted sign on April 9, 2021, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

States see record low unemployment across the US

BY: - May 25, 2023

Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by […]

Gov. Kristi Noem talks about apprenticeship programs on April 25, 2023, at Howe Inc. in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Noem touts $7.9 million investment in apprenticeships as part of workforce shortage solution

BY: - April 25, 2023

SIOUX FALLS — Employers willing to build or expand apprenticeship programs in South Dakota will soon have a shot at a larger pool of state funding. During a stop Tuesday at Howe Inc., Gov. Kristi Noem announced the addition of $7.9 million in apprenticeship grants to be distributed over three years through the Start Today […]

A company advertises a help wanted sign on April 9, 2021, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Powell signals higher interest rates. Here’s why Friday’s jobs report will affect Fed’s decision.

BY: - March 9, 2023

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said this week that interest rate increases could be higher and come faster if Friday’s unemployment data shows the nation’s labor market isn’t cooling off. Stock indexes fell after his comments. That’s been a familiar pattern over the past year as the federal bank has tried to combat inflation.  A […]

Gov. Kristi Noem, right, talks with Tamara Carns, a teacher from North Dakota now working in Yankton, and state Sen. Jim Stalzer, R-Sioux Falls, during a bill signing March 1, 2023, at Midwestern Mechanical in Sioux Falls. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Business community greets new law to recognize out-of-state licenses

BY: - March 1, 2023

SIOUX FALLS – A new law to recognize out-of-state licenses for most professions in South Dakota will “do a lot of good” for the state’s economy, according to Ken Amundson, president of Midwestern Mechanical in Sioux Falls.  “There will be more tradespeople coming to the state when they don’t have the red tape to deal […]