Watertown job market expert calls tight labor market “unprecedented”  (Audio)

September 23, 2021
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.–The workforce shortage has been an issue that’s been talked about locally and nationally for several months.

The message is the same–employers are having a very hard time finding workers. And in some cases, it’s gotten to the point where they’ve gone out of business because of it, or they’ve scaled back their hours of operation to fit the number of workers they do have.

Lisa Johnson is with the South Dakota Department of Labor office in Watertown. She’s been there 20 years, and she tells KWAT News she’s never seen anything like the labor shortage that exists right now…

Johnson was asked how much of this is COVID-driven???

Johnson says employers have “had to change everything” when it comes to finding workers…

Johnson says employers are also offering higher wages, sign-on bonuses, training, and tuition assistance to help fill holes on their staff.

Hear the full interview with Lisa Johnson by clicking the link below: