Not too long ago, people were leaving North Dakota faster than the population could grow. Now, there are many jobs available, and not just in the oil and gas industry.
If you are looking for work, Williams County, North Dakota, is a good place to be. Job Service North Dakota released its monthly Online Job Openings Report this week, showing 14,738 jobs available statewide.
Williams County alone accounts for 10 percent of those, with 1,459 job openings.
Cindy Sanford with Job Service North Dakota in Williston told local news station KFYR-TV that the number only represents the posted openings. She says the number is probably closer to 2,000.
Not too long ago, Sanford said, people were leaving North Dakota faster than the population could grow. Now, there are many jobs available, and not just in the oil and gas industry. Retail, construction and transportation are other industries seeking employees.
Sanford says there's a labor force that often gets overlooked -- youth.
"If young people are looking for jobs, we have tons of jobs that they could do over the summer. They can get some experience here and hopefully stay and continue.
Bakken area job openings have been steadily increasing since early fall, said Sanford, who expects the trend to continue as construction projects move forward, along with more active drilling rigs and, as the weather warms, lifting road restrictions in the oilfield, generally in mid-May.
"Once those are lifted, send your friends, your neighbors, your in-laws and your ex-laws because we're going to need everybody that we can for working," Sanford said.
Sanford has an immediate hire board, and sometimes companies want to hire more quickly, without going through the process online. She also said Job Service North Dakota will gladly help people who drop in.
Job Service North Dakota is open 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.
Opportunities in North Dakota:
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