South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem announced her state has reached what she claimed to be the lowest unemployment rate of any state in U.S. history, further revealing there are an estimate 25,000 job openings in the Mount Rushmore State that may not require a license or established skill set.
Noem told "Hannity" on Tuesday her administration has established "licensing reciprocity" – where jobseekers from other states who have earned trade licenses in those states will have their certification honored by officials in Pierre.
"Today, I announced a historic investment in apprenticeship programs," she added, as South Dakota's unemployment rate fell to 1.9% in the state's March report. The national unemployment rate is around 3.5% according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"We will train teachers in the classroom to be teachers, train plumbers on the job; electricians, barbers, cosmetologists – whatever [job] requires a license, you can earn a wage while you get that license and further your career."
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Noem noted all of these figures come even as the Biden administration continues to usher in rampant inflation and economic instability.
"What South Dakota is doing is incredible. In spite of the headwinds that President Biden and his administration are sending our way," she said. "And it's because we have given our people the freedom to make decisions for themselves."
Noem said state officials have actively identified jobseekers in other states and are engaging them as to what type of community or school system they may want to move into, to encourage them to bring their skills to South Dakota.
"The state that has the workers, the people that get up every day and go fill these positions and allow our businesses to be successful, that's the state that's going to win. And our state has been winning for years since I've been governor," she said.
"We're going to continue to do so and set an example for the country."
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Noem also said South Dakota's sales tax was recently cut from 4.5% to 4.2%.
Host Sean Hannity later pressed Noem on her prospects for a 2024 presidential run, as she has long been considered a potential Republican primary candidate.
Noem replied she is "super focused here in South Dakota" but added the U.S. cannot afford another Biden term.
When pressed further, Noem said her answer is "not a ‘no’," but underlined she is focused on South Dakota and that she has always put her family first in discussing her potential political future.
"So if I had an answer that was clear, I'd give it to you today," she said.
Thus far, former President Donald Trump, Los Angeles commentator and gubernatorial recall election candidate Larry Elder, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have declared GOP primary bids.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has launched an exploratory committee.
On the Democratic side, Biden announced Tuesday he will seek reelection, joining Democratic scion Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – son of the former U.S. attorney general and nephew of J.F.K. – and author Marianne Williamson in the Democratic primary field.
