As South Dakota continues a $6.5 million advertising campaign to attract more workers, the state Department of Labor and Regulation is closing offices and cutting positions.
Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman sent an email to employees last week (Dec. 14, 2023) saying “22 reductions in force resulting in office closures and the elimination of positions” will take effect Feb. 8, 2024. Those closures are:
- Job Service positions in Brookings, Winner and Madison will be eliminated. These offices will be closed.
- One Job Service position will be eliminated in Lake Andes.
- Employment Service Assistant positions will be eliminated in Aberdeen, Mitchell, Spearfish and Vermillion.
- Secretary positions will be eliminated in Rapid City and Watertown.
- Offices in Aberdeen, Mitchell, Pierre, Spearfish and Vermillion will be open by appointment only.
Through the nationwide “Freedom Works Here” employee recruitment effort, those interested in finding work and relocating to South Dakota are connected with Job Service employees tasked with helping them find employment.
Hultman said the cuts are the result of federal funds not increasing, while the cost of doing business has grown. She said her agency’s “top priority is to help staff find employment within state government should that be their preference.”
Hultman said they will be working diligently throughout this transition to “prioritize continuity of service to our clients, partners and communities.”
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