May 21, 2020

South Dakota’s unemployment rate reached a record 10.2 percent in April as thousands of new claims were filed in the latest week.

That represents 48,100 unemployed people and compares with 3.1 percent in March.

The previous record for the state unemployment rate was 5.9 percent in January 1983, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The nationwide unemployment rate was 14.7 percent in April.

In South Dakota, the biggest drop was in leisure and hospitality jobs, which saw the number of employed in the sector drop 40 percent. That’s a decrease of 18,600 jobs from March to April.

State government jobs dropped 11 percent, or 2,000 jobs. Construction was the only sector to add jobs, up 2 percent month-over-month.

The most recent statewide unemployment claims report shows 3,806 new weekly claims for unemployment benefits, which is a decrease of 1,463 claims from the prior week’s total of 5,269.

The latest number of continued claims is 23,388 for the week ending May 2. This indicates the number of unemployed workers eligible for and receiving benefits after their initial claim.

“We have been seeing increased numbers of claimants not completing the weekly request for benefit payment,” Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman said. “Please be sure to answer all questions correctly and hit ‘submit.’ ”

A total of $4.7 million was paid out in state benefits in the latest week, in addition to $13.7 million paid out in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits. The unemployment insurance trust fund balance May 17 was $99.3 million.