Gov. Kristi Noem said her ‘Freedom Works Here’ ad campaign is the most successful one in state history.
The governor’s office said the national workforce recruitment campaign has attracted hundreds to the state, but the push relies on stretching a key fact.
That fact is featured in the first Freedom Works Here campaign ad, when Noem sits up from under a sink, doubling as a plumber.
“The average starting salary for an apprentice is $77,000 a year, without paying a penny in personal state income tax," Noem said.
The stat is also featured prominently on the website for the campaign.
However, the figure is based on the national average for workers who have completed apprenticeships - not the starting salary for the apprenticeship itself.
The governor’s office cites a fact sheet from a U.S. Department of Labor sheet, which said 93 percent of apprentices who complete a registered apprenticeship and retain employment make an average of $77,000 a year salary.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics website said apprentices can expect to "earn about half of what a fully qualified worker makes."
A South Dakota worker who has completed an apprenticeship would also likely make less than the national average. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows the annual mean South Dakota salary is 19 percent lower than the national average.
“I think that, for one, it’s misleading because it’s not saying construction apprenticeship. And it’s definitely not saying union construction apprenticeship," said Felicia Hilton, political director for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.
“The only way I know you reach $77,000 a year is if you were in a unionized construction apprenticeship. That would be a true statement.”
Besides, Hilton said unionized apprentices might not make that much initially but work their way toward that amount.
The governor's office did not respond to clarifications about the claim in the ads.
KELO-TV reports the Governor’s Office of Economic Development has already paid two out of state marketing firms $6.5 million for the national campaign, which features Noem prominently in TV commercials, mailers and on the side of a NASCAR stock car.
Noem’s office said the campaign has led to over 4,000 applications and more than 800 individuals looking to relocate to the state.
