MITCHELL, S.D. (KELO) — State and local officials are pulling together to help families impacted by last week's closure at a meat processing facility.
It's been a week since more than 200 workers lost their jobs at Cimpl's Meats.
Officials are organizing a job and resource fair for families
impacted. It's happening from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the National Field Archery Association Headquarters in Yankton. The Department of Labor and Regulation will talk about applying for reemployment benefits and offer training opportunities. Translation services are available.
Rhoden says Mitchell is example in development
Gov. Larry Rhoden continued his Open for Opportunity tour in Mitchell on Monday. Rhoden said job fairs like this align with his vision to promote the state.
"We just got through touring the new soybean processing facility, and a huge number of jobs are affiliated with that," Rhoden said. "Every project like that is another piece of the puzzle in securing the economic future of South Dakota."
Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't challenges with the large number of layoffs. However, officials said the city of Yankton does have hundreds of current job openings.
"It's unfortunate to have Cimpl's Meats moving out of South Dakota, but on the other hand, we have a pretty good situation. South Dakota has set records, all time records for our nation's lowest unemployment," Rhoden said.
According to the Department of Labor and Regulation, Yankton has an unemployment rate of 1.8%.
"That's combined with 19,000 available jobs in South Dakota including, I think, 600 in the Yankton area," Rhoden said. "That translates into a lot of opportunity for people that are losing their employment. The state is there to help facilitate them finding those new jobs."
KELOLAND News spoke with Yankton Mayor Mason Schramm last week. Schramm said if a now former-Cimpl's employee wishes to continue working in the Yankton area, there would be a place for them.
"We’ve been a community of resilience and hard-working people," Schramm said last Monday. ...read more read less
