SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — A new study says nearly 35,000 essential South Dakota workers make less than unemployment benefits and the extra $600 a week in coronavirus benefits.
The MoneyMagnify study says that over 66% of South Dakota’s essential workers.
That ranks the state the tenth worst in the country.
The report says to make the same as their current enhanced unemployment benefits, South Dakota workers would need to make $1,014 a week.
North Dakota ranked the worst in the country in this study.
Regional rankings:
ND #1
MT #17
WY #18
NE #12
IA #7
MN #22
More findings from MagnifyMoney:
- Our study found that 58.1% of essential workers in the U.S. — roughly 9.4 million people — earn less each week from their work pay than they would earn if they received unemployment insurance, including the $600 weekly unemployment supplement from the CARES Act.
- In 46 states, more than half of essential workers earned less than the supplemented benefits.
- North Dakota has the highest percentage of underpaid essential workers. We found that 74.1% of workers there earned less than they would if they were able to collect unemployment.
- On the opposite end of the spectrum, Alaska has the lowest rate of underpaid essential workers among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In Alaska, 41.3% of workers earned less through their work pay than from unemployment benefits.
- New Jersey ranks toward the middle of the pack, but essential workers there would need to earn the highest amount — $1,313 each week — to break even with weekly supplemented unemployment benefits.
- Mississippi essential workers, on the other hand, require the lowest weekly wage at $835 to break even.
- The three industries with the highest prevalence of workers who would take home more money if they were laid off are all health-related. This includes hospitals, skilled nursing care facilities and home health services.
HOW ESSENTIAL WORKERS’ WAGES IN EACH STATE COMPARE TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Unfortunately, there’s a sizable percentage of essential workers in every state, plus the District of Columbia, who would make more money from unemployment benefits than from their working wages. In fact, only in four states (Alaska, Arizona, Maryland, Nevada) and the District of Columbia is the percentage of workers who would earn more from unemployment than from weekly wages less than half of essential workers in the state.
GRAPHIC of How essential workers wage in each state compare tot unemployment benefits https://infogram.com/1pg6zzxeg7qngms9z2np5plnn1bwyxw3nv3
