This article was published in the April 2008 South Dakota Labor Bulletin.

To find out what types of jobs will be available in South Dakota, we polled the managers of local South Dakota Career Center offices. Here is what they had to say about this year’s summer jobs. Click here for more information on the programs and services provided by the SDCCs, including contact information.  

Aberdeen SDCC
Dan Thielsen, Manager

The job market for summer employment in the Aberdeen area this year looks bright and strong. Molded Fiber Glass, Northern Beef Packers and Coventry Health Systems will be expanding and hiring a large number of full-time permanent employees with all starting positions paying more than $11 per hour plus benefits. Other companies may lose employees to the expansions, thus creating other job opportunities. Retail businesses are hiring cashiers and stockers to work in greenhouses, cover permanent employees’ summer vacations and other outdoor work. There is a construction boom in the Aberdeen area to build housing for the expected influx of workers for the expansions, and construction companies are planning to hire many summer laborers.

The Aberdeen City Parks Department relies heavily on youth for positions at the new aquatic center and swimming pool, Wylie Park and camp ground, the golf course and parks and for other jobs such as youth coaches and instructors for various classes. Restaurants and fast-food businesses also rely heavily on summer help to cover their employment needs. Companies making motel reservations hire a large number of summer employees. You will see a help wanted sign in almost every business window or marquee, plus ads in the classifieds.  

However, if you are just starting to look for summer employment now, you are a little late for some job openings. The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department (GFP) and state summer internships required the applicants to apply by early February to be employed starting in May. The Aberdeen City Parks and Recreation Department starts to fill openings for summer employment by the end of March and continues until all positions are filled. To take full advantage of all possible job opportunities for summer employment a person must start looking and applying for employment right after the first of the year. Many students may continue working at their current place of employment. Some employers allow some part-time workers to go full-time during the summer.  

Nevertheless, if a person wants to get a summer job, there are still many jobs available for those with persistence and a willingness to work hard. The South Dakota Career Center can assist you in your search for summer employment.

Brookings SDCC
Jeff Kjenstad, Manager

Summer employment opportunities will remain strong this summer in the Brookings area. We have the following summer job openings listed by employers, with duties, the number of positions listed if available, and eligible ages.

·      Pioneer Hybrid will have 83 positions working mainly corn research for 14-year-olds and up.

·      The City of Brookings has 30 positions with Parks and Recreation, Street Department, Park and Forestry, and waste collection, mainly for 18-year-olds and up.

·      Lowe’s Home Center has 12 positions in customer service, waterers, stockers and receivers, and cashiers, mainly for 18-year-olds and up.

·      Area truckers are hiring gravel and cement truck drivers 18 years old and up.

·      Area golf courses hire groundskeepers, bartenders, cooks and cashiers for those 16 years old and up.

·      Game, Fish and Parks has positions at Oakwood Lake, Thompson and Lake Poinsett for park maintenance, law enforcement and campground maintenance, mainly for 18-year-olds and up.

·      SDSU hires a number of students for the summer to paint, do ground maintenance and office related work.

·      Sanderson Gardens hires a number of 14-year-olds and up to pick strawberries and a variety of produce.

It also appears to be another busy year for construction in the community, which will also create seasonal construction jobs.

Huron SDCC
Robin Wallum, Manager

A large majority of the summer jobs available in the Huron area are advertised and filled by the end of March, so it is best to inquire very early each year. For example, the Huron City Parks and Recreation Department listed 65 openings with a closing date of March 31. Most of the jobs were available to those at least 16 years old and most pay $7.00 an hour. The City of Miller also hires summer employees in the street, utilities, ballpark and pool departments. They had seven openings, most with a February 29 closing date.

As the saying goes, “South Dakota has two seasons … winter and road construction.” Huron is home to an asphalt paving company, which normally hires flaggers, pilot car drivers, heavy equipment operators and general laborers for the summer. All must be able to work long days and be out of town overnight during the week for at least parts of the summer.

As for openings with the State of South Dakota, the Department of Transportation has an opening for one field transportation aide in Huron, and Game, Fish and Parks in Miller had an opening listed earlier for a parks/grounds maintenance worker at Lake Louise.

Other traditional summer jobs in the area include farm work such as putting up hay, planting and harvesting crops, agriculture fertilizer applicators for those with a commercial driver’s license and hazardous materials handling endorsements, greenhouse workers, weed sprayers and tree planters.

For the South Dakota State Fair, scheduled for August 28 to September 1, department superintendents hire returning workers first. If there are still job openings, the public can then apply. A few jobs with the State Fair last throughout the summer, including those for data-entry clerks and crew leaders.

Madison SDCC
Jim Baltzer, Manager

With summer fast approaching, youth in the Madison area have a number of job opportunities available to them. The outlook appears to be similar to recent summers, with the City of Madison having lifeguard, recreation assistants and park maintenance positions available. The Game, Fish and Parks Department will again be hiring campground attendants, supervisors, naturalists/program coordinators, and grounds and park maintenance workers at Lake Herman State Park. In addition, the State of South Dakota has openings for field transportation aides with the Department of Transportation, and travel center counselors and a supervisor with the Department of Tourism at the Salem visitor center on I-90. There are nursery worker and greenhouse worker positions available along with openings at the Madison Golf and Country Club, including a pro-shop clerk, outside golf staff, waiter/waitresses and bartenders. Historic Prairie Village also needs laborers and gift shop clerks. In addition, we expect a number of construction-related positions to become available in the near future, as well as seasonal jobs with area farmers.

Mitchell SDCC
Jeanne Anderson, Manager

Businesses in the Mitchell area have many positions to offer those seeking part-time summer employment this year. Local companies indicate over 230 positions will be filled if they can find qualified individuals 16 years of age or older. The majority of positions are in the retail or food service areas. Other areas include groundskeeping, child care, construction and some manufacturing.

Mobridge SDCC
Marge Mertz, Manager

·      The usual summer positions with the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks at Mobridge, Selby, Gettysburg and Lemmon closed in the first part of February.

·      The South Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT) in Mobridge usually hires three or four summer employees. Applications for those positions are taken at the DOT location.

·      Some of the cities in our area hire summer help to operate municipal swimming pools. Mobridge hires seven to 10 employees for summer pool work.

·      The smaller cities in the area normally have a few jobs at their local retail businesses. Mobridge also has a number of retail businesses that extend their employee base during the summer. We encourage those who are interested to contact the businesses directly.

NE Area SDCC (Watertown-Sisseton-Milbank)
Sue Bogen, Manager

Summer employment opportunities in the northeast area include road construction, tourism/hospitality positions and production work. Several area manufacturers have indicated they will supplement their labor force with summer workers to help cover vacations and relieve overtime. The northeast area is expecting a strong summer tourist season, thanks to the arrival in Watertown of the Bodies Human exhibit at the newly restored Goss Opera House. Restaurants and hotels will need to add workers. Other seasonal employers are starting to accept applications for their openings.

Various city, county and state departments all need employees for summer programs and projects. These positions include park workers; lifeguards and pool attendants; baseball, softball, and other sports coaches; utilities helpers; and maintenance workers. However, many of these positions had application dates starting as early as December and many are already filled. A limited number of internships are available through public and private employers for specialized college majors, but many of those have already closed too. Most people who want summer employment in northeast South Dakota should have little problem finding work of some kind, but those who make an early start get the most choices.

Northern Hills SDCC
Lisa Johnson, Manager

Many of the tourist and gaming industry establishments hire for summer positions, such as part-time and full-time housekeeping and cashiering positions. The gaming industry in Deadwood has current openings for bussers, wait staff, front desk staff and casino workers. The city of Spearfish is looking for 32 recreation workers for the summer. Construction and concrete work will also be available, with new housing developments throughout the Northern Hills. The Sturgis Rally will again need bartenders, wait staff, bar backs (bartender assistants) and security personnel. We start to get those listings in late May.

Pierre SDCC
Mark Anderson, Manager

The State of South Dakota offers a variety of summer internships and seasonal positions over the summer months. While internships are offered at many different areas of state government, seasonal positions are more plentiful for Game, Fish & Parks and the Department of Transportation. Other summer jobs are available through the City of Pierre and Ft. Pierre for park and city maintenance, lifeguards and other summer recreation programs. Other typical summer employment opportunities exist in the service industry (e.g. Zesto, Dairy Queen, and resorts and lodges along the river).

Rapid City SDCC
Penny Kutz, Manager

Youth ages 16 to 18 years old should have the same opportunities as last year for employment. As the Rapid City area is very seasonal in its employment of youth, many of the same types of jobs will be available primarily in the tourism, service and food industries. A few retail jobs open on a seasonal basis, but those would be more the exception than the rule. If students are willing to go outside of Rapid City proper, there is greater opportunity for employment. Employers have some difficulty finding older workers willing to travel for seasonal positions, so those employers often hire 16 to 18-year-olds.

The job market is still tight enough that students cannot be too selective about the type of work they are willing to take. Students need to be looking early to find the best jobs/opportunities for the type of employment they are willing to do. Many of the seasonal employers utilize alien workers, which affects the number of summer job opportunities for youth. Students who have worked for seasonal employers in previous years will often have an advantage for re-hiring by the same employer, as they do not have to be extensively trained. The employer also knows the kind of employee he or she is getting, as opposed to hiring a new worker.

Job seekers 14 and 15 years old have fewer employment options, due to child labor law restrictions on the hours they can work and the types of work assigned to them. Additionally, there are usually enough 16 to 18-year-olds available for hire. Transportation is another issue for this age group; they often have to rely on others to get to work because of driving restrictions. The best opportunities for this age group remain newspaper delivery, babysitting and domestic work. There are some seasonal employers who hire from this age group, but students may be asked to demonstrate they are responsible and dependable by sharing school and activity records. Starting early is the key to finding employment and being persistent is critical to demonstrating an interest in working for the employer.

Sioux Falls SDCC
Gregory Johnson, Manager

The Sioux Falls area will offer a variety of summer employment opportunities, ranging from mower operators, sod laborers, sprinkler installers and greenhouse workers to production helpers and cake decorators. Other types of job opportunities this summer will include construction, restaurant, customer service and retail positions.  Additionally, Wells Fargo is looking for 50 college students for their staff this summer. 

Southern Hills Satellite Office
Joyce Farrell

The entire Southern Hills area is gearing up for a good tourist season. There will be a need for many workers in the service industry such as restaurant workers, motel workers and retail clerks. A new motel has opened in Hot Springs, and several are under construction in the Custer area. Specifically, cooks will be in short supply. Many of the establishments are opening earlier in the season and remaining open later into the fall. There will be the need for the traditional employees at such institutions as Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, Mammoth Site, Angostura Recreation Area and Evans Plunge. Several call centers will be seeking additional personnel for the summer as well.

Vermillion SDCC
Daniel Hart, Manager

Currently listed with the Vermillion Career Center are the following summer intern openings with state government agencies:  Department of Environment and Natural Resources (watershed protection technician, data base, geologic mapping, drilling assistant (seasonal), and water sampling); and Department of Tourism (information center supervisor and information center travel counselor). In Vermillion, Elk Point, Jefferson and North Sioux City we anticipate numerous city summer openings for park maintenance, golf course maintenance, lifeguards, pool attendants, etc. Fertilizer companies in Elk Point, Vermillion and Meckling all hire seasonal summer help. The City of Vermillion is building a new city hall, and a new student union is under construction at the University of South Dakota, so we expect various construction contractors to have multiple openings.

When USD's semester ends, local retail, supermarkets and restaurant employers replace student help with summer help. A local seed company hires summer help for corn detasseling and roguing. Polaris hires seasonal help pretty much year round.

Winner SDCC
Lynn Coonrod, Manager

As in past years, summer 2008 employment opportunities for youth in south central South Dakota will be limited but not impossible. Cities and towns throughout the area will have full- and part-time opportunities in various occupations, including groundskeepers, swimming pool workers and various laboring occupations. Convenience stores, fast food establishments, ballparks and various other businesses will be seeking concession workers, cashiers, cooks and cleaners for the summer months. Summer employment will be available with construction contractors as well as area farmers and ranchers.

Internships and seasonal positions will be available with various state and federal government agencies. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s Employment and Training Program will offer summer employment opportunities for the Native American youth of the area.

Yankton SDCC
Fred Binder, Manager

The outlook for summer employment in the Yankton area is excellent. Normal to above normal opportunities are expected in the tourist-related industries (e.g. Missouri River and Lewis and Clark recreational areas). Many building and road projects (such as the new Missouri River Discovery Bridge) are on the table and will provide summer employment opportunities. Manufacturing companies are experiencing a good year, which translates into more summer jobs in that sector. Retail, service and health care fields are all expecting normal hiring patterns for summer openings.

Those seeking summer or year-round employment opportunities are encouraged to visit their nearest South Dakota Career Center or check out the Job Seekers section of the South Dakota Department of Labor’s website for assistance. 

Internet Sites for Summer Job Opportunities

• South Dakota Career Centers

• State of South Dakota jobs

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