One of my family members left a couple weeks ago for a temporary job in North Dakota, where his son also happens to work.
According to an article recently published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, that’s where employment lies.
Here’s the lowdown: North Dakota’s state officials are recruiting Minnesota workers for 17,000 jobs. A massive job fair was held this month in Minneapolis, with recruiters from major N.D. corporations. They are looking to fill positions in engineering, IT, health care and the oil industry, which North Dakota is known for.
The state boasts that it has the “lowest unemployment rate in the nation.” Last year, it was voted one of the best for finding employment.
They are sucking up to Minnesotans in particular for the following reasons:
- People living in this state are highly educated.
- They have a good work ethic.
- They’re accustomed to perpetual winter and subzero temperatures.
Upon further reading and research, I found the obligatory disadvantages I always look for.
Minnesota Public Radio published a story in February about the trouble with housing in North Dakota. Apparently, homeless shelters were “bursting at the seams” with newcomers who moved to the state for work in the highly talked about oil fields, but can’t find a job, or a place to live.
Chris Johnson heads up Fraser, a Fargo social services agency that runs a transitional shelter for young adults. He says that though there are opportunities, “that doesn’t mean you all of a sudden have a college degree or … people in positions of power who can make a reference for you. Because it’s not opportunities for all people.”
Or all ages, apparently.
In another example, a Minnetonka-based company, Eagle Creek Software, is expanding into Valley City, N.D., opening a huge project center.
The company’s president, Ken Behrendt, said they will be looking to recruit “Generation Y employees who have strong tech skills but not necessarily the baggage of houses or large families.”
In response to this was a post that said, “There’s a reason they’re looking for Generation Y kids who are unencumbered by families. They don’t pay enough to support one.”
That’s OK, they can stay at Fraser and move back to Minnesota eventually, since Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development spokesperson Monte Hanson feels job seekers going to North Dakota will eventually boomerang back.
“We sort of see this as a temporary thing and that more people will return to Minnesota as more jobs become available here,” he said in the Star Tribune article.
If the commentary at the bottom of the article is to be believed, Minnesotans are telling North Dakota to take their jobs and shove it.
The article received 150-plus comments that segued into a battle of which state is better.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I bet they are having a hard time recruiting there. It’s damn cold!
What the temp means to North Dakotans:
60 above zero: Floridians turn on the heat. People in North Dakota plant gardens.
50 above zero: Californians shiver uncontrollably. People in North Dakota sunbathe.
40 above zero: Italian & English cars won’t start. People in North Dakota drive with the windows down.
32 above zero: Distilled water freezes. The water in North Dakota gets thicker.
20 above zero: Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats. People in North Dakota throw on a flannel shirt.
15 above zero: New York landlords finally turn up the heat. People in North Dakota have the last cookout before it gets cold.
Zero: ; People in Miami all die. People in North Dakota close the windows.
10 below zero: Californians fly away to Mexico People in North Dakota get out their winter coats.
25 below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. The Girl Scouts in North Dakota are selling cookies door to door.
40 below zero: Washington DC runs out of hot air. People in North Dakota let the dogs sleep indoors.
100 below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. North Dakotan’s get upset because they can’t start the Mini-Van.
460 below zero: ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale.) People in North Dakota start saying…”Cold ’nuff fer ya?”
500 below zero: Hell freezes over. North Dakota public schools will open 2 hours late.
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I’d take up ice fishing if it meant I’d be employed! Where do I sign up?
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There are millions of reasons why there are more jobs than people in ND, but they can all be boiled down into two words: Grand. Forks.
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Hi my name is sean,
I am a Navy Vet with a degree in B.S. in Communications. Looking for entry level positions in the oil and gas industry in ND. Willing to pay head hunter fee to anyone who can land me a job. Would prefer not to drive a truck, but work on one of the drilling rigs. Hope someone can point me in the right direction.
Thank you,
Sean Linehan
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i Sean…let me know if you are still monitoring this page and if so i will make a few phone calls, try to get you some leads. There are few if any reputable recruiters who accept fees from the employee.
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