Will LibertyLand Be Able to Find Workers?
Let’s talk about the numbers for a second.
One of the loudest arguments against LibertyLand is, “We don’t have the workers.” With unemployment around 1.9%, that sounds believable… if you assume Rapid City isn’t growing.
But it is.
By 2030, the Rapid City area is expected to add 8,192 new people. Not all of them will be working-age adults, so let’s be realistic. About 43% will be either retired or under 18.
That still leaves 57%, or roughly 4,669 new workers, entering the labor force over the next five years.
LibertyLand doesn’t need anywhere close to that. It won’t even require a quarter of those workers, and that’s before you factor in part-time and seasonal jobs, which are common in entertainment, dining, and retail.
Using today’s unemployment rate to argue this project won’t work assumes Rapid City is standing still. It isn’t. Unemployment is a snapshot. Population growth is a trend.
It’s fair to debate LibertyLand on vision or planning. But the idea that it “won’t be able to find workers” doesn’t hold up.
The workers are coming.
The real question is whether Rapid City plans for growth or pretends it isn’t happening.
