Workforce development has been a major issue in South Dakota for some time, and a report released last year has given some experts insight into the need to increase the development of a skilled workforce.

Leacey Brown is an SDSU Extension Gerontology Field Specialist.  She says the state should be concerned about the aging population…

 

The report found that the industries that require the most training and formal education have the lowest unemployment numbers, while those less-skilled jobs have higher unemployment rates.  Brown says this means there are fewer available workers to fill positions in the nursing, education, and other skilled industries…

 

She says while the population of aging residents is going to grow, there is surprising data that shows there will be an even larger number of young people in the state…

 

She says businesses should look into incentives for current workers to remain on the job past retirement in order to soften the impact of a worker shortage.  Brown also suggests policy changes need to be made to convince younger people to remain in the state.