County businesses struggle to find workers

Posted


A tightening in the number of available workers is leaving some Moody County business looking harder for employees.
The county’s unemployment rate dipped to 2.5 percent in May, the most recent figures available. That’s on par with Minnehaha County and the lowest of any month this year in Moody County. The highest rate this year for the county was 4 percent in February. A year ago in May, the rate was 3.1 percent.
Data from the state Labor Market Information Center shows that Moody County had 95 unemployed people in May, 120 who were underemployed who would be willing to change jobs or get jobs more in line with their skills and 45 who were discouraged or not seeking a job but wanting a job.
That doesn’t leave many workers to fill open positions or to expand company services, employers say.

“Right now, to be honest with you, it’s really tough to find them. I don’t know what has changed,” said Mike Witte, manager of Maynard’s. “Truthfully, it’s ugly.”
The grocery store has five high school seniors employed who graduated this year. He’s not sure where he will find replacements because employees who are younger can’t work past 8 p.m. and can’t ring up alcohol purchases, a new and expanded merchandise area for the store. Many of the 15 to 16 year olds also have either no job experience or have lasted only a few weeks in previous jobs, he said.
Out of 20 applications, he has possibly two people who he would consider hiring, he said.
Witte knows the hiring issues are not just local issues. He sees some job listings elsewhere that offer bonuses so the company can compete for workers.
“It’s not just our community. It’s everywhere,” he said. “I don’t know what has changed. In our smaller community, we need to figure out what it’s going to take for future businesses, what it’s going to take to bring our kids back after college.”
More than half of those employed who live in Moody County leave to go to other counties for jobs, state data from 2015 shows. It’s the most current Census statistics available on where people commute to work.
At that time, 1,155 people, or 42.3 percent, lived and worked in Moody County. Another 1,573, or 57.7 percent left the county to work. The largest percentage, 25 percent or 682 workers, went to Minnehaha County, its neighbor to the south and by far, the most dominant labor market in the state. Another 10.5 percent or 287 workers, went to jobs in Brookings County, while 3.2 percent, or 87 people, traveled to Lake County and 1.9 percent, or 53 workers, went across the border to Pipestone County in Minnesota.
Moody County gets some people coming its direction from other counties, too. In some cases, more people come into the county from places such as Lake County and Pipestone, Minn., than leave for jobs there each day.