Good afternoon,
Think you are having trouble on the hiring front? You could be in Sioux Falls.
Sioux Falls is located in a state with a three percent jobless rate, less than half the Delaware figure.
Some may remember that South Dakota and Delaware decades ago battled one another in luring banks. It came after both states passed banking legislation loaded with incentives.
Despite Delaware’s efforts, Citibank moved credit card operations to Sioux Falls and sparked a long-running boom in the city that has gained more than 70,000 new residents over the past two decades.
The number of Sioux Falls banking jobs has declined modestly in recent years, but the boom continues in a diversified economy.
Jodi Schwann, who runs the Sioux Falls Business website recently offered a look at the situation on the ground.
Jodi reported the struggles of a franchise owner for Capriotti’s, the sandwich shop chain that got its start on Union Street in Wilmington.
Assembling and retaining a crew for the first location was not a problem. That was not the case with the second location, with the owner temporarily delaying its opening.
Jodi talked to South Dakota Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman who noted the growing number of job openings versus the number of resumes on file.
Hultman had some words of advice that could also apply to Delaware employers.
First off, list your pay when posting job openings. Otherwise, applicants will assume you are paying the lowest wage.
Secondly, list your openings with the state Department of Labor.
And if applicants don’t show up for interviews, feel free to pass their names along.
Hultman says she has heard anecdotal reports of people staying home rather than seeking work, but added the low unemployment numbers don’t point to a big problem.
She acknowledged that factors such as early retirements, people shifting to one-income households, and worries about returning to jobs in the Covid era may limit the number of job seekers.
The Labor Secretary also noted that the state remained largely open during the pandemic, with schools and most businesses having fewer restrictions.
South Dakota paid a price for staying open and not mandating masks with the state having the ninth highest statewide death rate from Covid-19. Delaware ranks in the mid-20s.
Meanwhile, the debate in Delaware will continue on whether state and supplemental federal benefits are keeping potential employees at home.
Enjoy your weekend. This newsletter returns on Monday. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
