South Dakota To End $300 Federal Unemployment Benefit
South Dakota will be ending the federal pandemic-related unemployment assistance programs as the number of unemployed workers has normalized in the state.
The South Dakota Department of Labor announced that its participation in the three CARES Act unemployment programs, including $300 weekly payments for claimants will be ending on June 26, 2021.
State Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman told Dakota News Now that the state is “open for business” and that ending these benefits is a “necessary step towards recovery, growth, and getting people back to work.”
“Businesses across the state continue to say they would grow and expand if it wasn’t for the lack of workers. Help wanted signs line our streets,” Hultman said.
Regular state unemployment claims will continue to be paid for those who qualify. State benefits max out at $428 per week.
As the economy "continues to improve" there many other states that have chosen to end benefits including Iowa, Alabama, Arkansas, Montana, and South Carolina.
Fox Business reports that the unemployment rate nationwide ticked up to 6.1% in the latest report from April. The same report showed that the economy sharply missed job growth expectations, adding only 266,000 new jobs. Analysts blame the miss on a growing shortage of available workers.