June 26, 2020

The unemployment rate for the Sioux Falls MSA was 9.5 percent in May, according to preliminary data released Friday.

That’s a slight improvement from April’s 10.5 percent and a dramatic increase from a year ago when the jobless rate was 2.6 percent.

The data, which is not seasonally adjusted, is beginning to reflect the reopening of businesses that began to close temporarily in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The March unemployment rate was 3 percent.

The Sioux Falls MSA unemployment rate mirrors the 9.4 percent rate for South Dakota, which is seasonally adjusted.

That state’s jobless rate also shows improvement from the record 10.9 percent in April. It was 3.3 percent in May 2019.

There are 43,800 South Dakotans who do not have jobs, have actively looked for one in the past four weeks and are available to work, according to the state’s preliminary report.

According to the Labor Market Information Center, 14,992 people living in the Sioux Falls MSA, which includes Minnehaha, Lincoln, McCook and Turner counties, were out of work in May. That compares with 4,085 residents a year ago.

In the Sioux Falls MSA, the leisure and hospitality industry saw the biggest change. The number of workers in that category rose by 43.2 percent compared with a month ago. The number is down 22.2 percent from a year ago. Retail trade, which also had seen a large drop in April, did not see a significant increase, rising 1.3 percent. The number of retail staff is down 16 percent from a year ago.

Within the Sioux Falls city limits, the unemployment rate was 10.4 percent, compared with 11.7 percent in April and 2.7 percent a year ago.

Here’s a look at unemployment rates for other cities in May and April:

• Rapid City, 11.2 percent, down from 14.3 percent.
• Aberdeen, 10.2 percent, down from 11.6 percent.
• Brandon, 7.8 percent, down from 8.2 percent.
• Brookings, 8.7 percent, down from 9 percent.
• Huron, 6.9 percent, down from 7.6 percent.
• Mitchell, 8.1 percent, down from 8.9 percent.
• Pierre, 7.2 percent, down from 8.2 percent.
• Spearfish, 12.3 percent, down from 18.7 percent.
• Vermillion, 10.9 percent, up from 9 percent.
• Watertown, 9.8 percent, down from 14 percent.
• Yankton, 9.1 percent, down from 13.1 percent.

A year ago, those rates ranged from 2.4 percent to 3.6 percent.

Now hiring: Despite unemployment spike, many companies looking for workers