The US Labor Department announced today a third straight month of job losses. The national unemployment rate is now five-point-one percent - the highest rate in nearly five years. But don't let the discouraging employment news tempt you into tossing your resume into the trash. Your prospects of landing a job are still very good here in KELOLAND. 

Businesses looking to fill vacancies are putting the word out for help. The upcoming summer job market is stronger than ever in Sioux Falls. Mary Medema of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation said, "In fact, my understanding is that we have more summer opportunities than ever." 

The summer jobs range from permanent to temporary, construction to retail. The Sioux Falls Parks Department is advertising openings that pay up to twelve dollars an hour. Medema said, "As our population has grown, they have introduced so many new recreational leagues and educational programs in parks and supervision in the parks, all those positions." 

A growing population also means no shortage of applicants. Sioux Falls can insulate itself from spikes in the national unemployment rate because of its ability to offset job losses. "Any flux in the economy, any reduction, is being absorbed in other industries and so it's been a pretty dynamic, forward-movement in Sioux Falls." 

You only have to read the signs to see that it's a job-seekers market this summer. 

Filling job openings becomes all the more urgent at businesses that will be short-staffed when employees take their summer vacations.