We must have worn ourselves out creating jobs in April; the latest South Dakota Department of Labor data show that Lake County's unemployment rate in May stayed at 4.7%. Total jobs in the county crept downward by five, from 6,290 to 6,285. Five people also snuck out of the workforce, leaving us with 6,595 workers, 310 of them officially unemployed.
The Lake Area Improvement Corporation's job creation goal remains a distant fantasy. Dwaine Chapel said in October 2006 that we'd have 7065 jobs by the end of this year. 780 jobs to go by December 31. Go ahead, fellas: surprise me.
But at least we weren't Brookings last month! They shed 180 jobs, while 155 folks left the workforce, resulting a net increase in May unemployment from 3.9% to 4.1%. Unemployment rates elsewhere around the septa-county region:
- Moody: 5.1% (down 0.4 percentage points from April)
- Minnehaha: 4.8% (unchanged)
- McCook: 4.9% (unchanged)
- Miner: 5.2% (down 0.1)
- Kingsbury: 4.4% (unchanged)
Perhaps worth noting: from 1990 to 2000, Lake County added an average of 89 jobs each May. From 2001 to 2011, that average dropped to 24 new jobs. The standard deviation over the entire period is huge, but over the last decade, we appear to have lost some May mojo.
Brookings shows an even stronger pattern on that metric. In the 1990s and 2000, Brookings on average lost 23 jobs in May; from 2001 to this year, that average May job loss jumped to 308. Compare that to statewide averages of 4,409 new jobs each May from 1990 to 2000 and 3,150 new May jobs over the last decade.
Why is Lake County performing so much better than Brookings?
Cory, you always hold up Brookings as an example of a better place economically than Madison.
"performing so much better"? In one month? While our unemployment rate has been higher than Brookings's every year since 1991? Perhaps you'd like to rephrase the question.
I hold up Brookings as an example of a better place economically than Madison for one reason: it's true.
May is an aberrant month which I can't explain. Might the end of classes on campus impact Brookings's labor force more than Madison's? Perhaps a higher percentage of SDSU students stay in Brookings and work on the weekends rather than suitcasing and working at home, thus meaning that when summer comes, Brookings loses more school-year student workers proportionally than Madison?
Brookings financially is a standard to hold to for most communities it's size. What they have accomplished in holding on to and attracting businesses is commendable, what they did to their main street is inspiring, their park system is top notch, they work as County/City and College together on many projects. They have an uber successful Event Center that has national popular performers in for concerts.
The one thing I would love to see Brookings have more of is and international flavor with their cafes. With the high number of International students I would think that a Middle Eastern Cafe or such would do quite well there.
Brookings, Brandon, Tea and Mitchell are light years ahead of the rest of us for expansion, diversity of business model, retention and risk payoff. I wish Yankton as a community had the balls that Brookings does, the foresight that Brandon has, the planning that Mitchell has and the recruiters that Tea has.