North Dakota Struggling to Fill Thousands of Open Jobs

Officials from the state of North Dakota are trying to fill thousands of open jobs, according to The Associated Press. An oil boom in the state has made it an economic hot bed in the country. The government has a budget surplus and the highest population in the history of the state.

Despite a high migration of people to the state, it still has not been enough to fill the thousands of open jobs. Come officials say that there are 25,000 more jobs than seekers in all industries operating in the state.

The North Dakota Economic Development Foundation and Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley announced the “Find the Good Life in North Dakota” campaign on Monday in Bismarck.

“These are exciting times in our state,” said Wrigley. He said that having a lack of a strong workforce as one of “the challenges of prosperity.”

Hess Corp., based in New York, and tax-supported state funds are backing the campaign, which costs $800,000. A state website will launch in May and media advertising will run during the campaign.

The campaign will focus on the career opportunities found in North Dakota. It will also promote the state as “a great place to live, work and raise a family.” The campaign is going to target states in the country that have ‘chronic unemployment’ issues and will try to lure talented workers from various industries to the state. The campaign is also planning to target veterans of the military and those scheduled to leave the armed forces soon.

The state boasts the lowest unemployment rate in the country. It comes in at under three percent. It also leads the country in population growth. The number of residents in the state has hit an all-time high, at just over 725,000 people. The reason for the surge in population and economic growth is due in large part to oil. The state is the second largest oil producer in the country, behind Texas. The state was ninth on the list in 2006.

For roughly 70 years, the state saw more people leaving than moving into the state. Just about seven years ago, that trend changed. There were 10,000 unfilled jobs in North Dakota back in 2007, when the oil industry was in its infancy in the state. That year, state officials funded job fairs that lured people to the state. They were specifically targeting former residents of the state to move back home.

Where can you find the most oil jobs in North Dakota? Click here.