Jan. 29, 2021

Unemployment figures in the Sioux Falls area are lower than they were a year ago for the first time since the pandemic began in spring.

The jobless rate dropped to 2.8 percent for December, compared with 3 percent a year ago, according to the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. That figure had climbed to 10.5 percent in April as businesses shut down. November’s unemployment rate was 2.9 percent.

December’s rate represents almost 4,300 people in the Sioux Falls MSA who are looking for work.

From November to December, nonfarm wage and salaried worker levels in the Sioux Falls area dropped by 100 people to 155,800, reflecting seasonal changes. The largest decline was in the category that includes construction at 6.5 percent, a loss of 600 workers. Leisure and hospitality lost 500 workers, a 3.6 percent drop. The biggest gain at 2.7 percent was in retail trade with 500 additional workers.

The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate is lower than it was a year ago. The figure was 3 percent in December, compared with 3.4 percent a year ago. That represents 14,000 people who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work. The rate was 3.5 percent in November. It reached a record high of 10.9 percent in April.

The national unemployment rate in December was 6.7 percent, unchanged from November. A year ago, it was 3.6 percent.

The most recent quarterly census of employment and wages shows a record number of reporting establishments — 35,152 — in the third quarter of 2020.

After employment levels dropped by 34,000 workers from March to April, those numbers have since recovered, with August reaching 422,946. The Labor Market Information Center noted, however, that the employment level for August 2019 was 439,662.