Self-Sufficiency Incomes and Increasing Precarity in South Dakota's Job Market, 2006-2015

Abstract

This longitudinal study examined the labor market of South Dakota, a state with an exceptionally low unemployment rate, over the ten years spanning 2006 to 2015. Analysis focused on the questions, what proportion of the market is made up of low wage jobs? and are the numbers of low wage workers increasing or decreasing over time? Data collected by the U. S. Census Bureau and U. S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was dissected on a micro level to determine which occupations held disproportionate numbers of low paying jobs. A threshold for households to live free of subsidies was set, then compared to workers’ incomes. Detailed data mining revealed information that contributes to the literature of employment and labor fields, strategic economic development, and the role of public policy in helping citizens get and stay independent of subsidies.