South Dakota businesses see lack of people applying as job openings surpass 23,000

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Help wanted has now turned into help needed for many places like Piesano’s Pacchia.

“It’s just hard to get help,” says owner Stacey Livermont.

Secretary Marcia Hultman from the Department of Labor and Regulation says initial claims for unemployment are going back to normal rates, but continued claim numbers still remain higher than usual in South Dakota.

“Our job numbers have also increased, we’re seeing some of the highest number of job openings,” says Hultman. “We have our South Dakota Works Job Board where employers can post jobs and seekers can look for jobs and we’ve been averaging around 23,000 open jobs every day and those again are historic highs for job opening numbers.”

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