Would you move from a cosmopolitan city such as Minneapolis, Minnesota to North Dakota? I recently saw the story of a woman who did just that. There might be a higher chill factor in North Dakota but unemployment there is just 3%.
The worst states
The states where you would probably not want to move because they are the lowest in job creation are Oregon, New Jersey, Maine, Delaware, and New York. On the other hand, at least one of the Plains states has such a low unemployment rate that it’s actually running ads to recruit people.
The states where jobs are plentiful
There are five states, well, actually 4 1/2 states, where jobs are plentiful. They are the Plains states of Oklahoma, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Dakota and the Western part of Utah. Jobs are so plentiful in North Dakota that its government website includes the statement, “find a job in North Dakota. More than 20,000 job openings statewide.”
Going where the jobs are
The people who are in charge of recruitment in those remote states such as North and South Dakota have increased their efforts to get skilled jobseekers to move from economically depressed areas to their states. One recruiter in Sioux Falls, South Dakota commented that he is finding many more people now willing to go to where the jobs are. These people have seen that their jobs are not just ever coming back.
The Mount Rushmore State
The Mount Rushmore state, South Dakota, has a population of just 824,082 but 11,000 job openings statewide. It has rapidly growing companies that show a high demand for more employees. As a result, the state has launched a $5 million recruiting program nationwide. It has actually hired a recruiting team to find workers for information technology, manufacturing, engineering and other high demand openings. Its goal is to hire 1000 skilled workers between now and 2014. The state has also created a South Dakota Workforce Initiative Program to which 20 of the state’s largest companies have posted jobs. In addition, the state is working to attract medical professionals with inducements such as tuition reimbursement for any doctors that would be willing to work in South Dakota’s small towns.
Rated number one
Forbes magazine ranked Sioux Falls, SD number one on its list of the best small places for careers and business. One recruiter in that city reported that his office interviews anywhere from 10 to 14 job candidates DAY and then forwards the top applicants to potential employers. Its main selling points are the state’s lack of an income tax, along with affordable housing and great opportunities for outdoor recreation.
The nation’s lowest unemployment rate
North Dakota, which is awash in oil, tech and agricultural jobs, has the best job scene in the country with 42% of its companies hiring and expanding their workforces. There has been a veritable explosion in the northern wildcat oil towns such as Williston, where it’s been reported that workers can earn six figure incomes even if they have little or no experience. This boom has even impacted cities across North Dakota including its state capital of Bismarck, which is more than 200 miles away from the oil fields.
Even Walmart
People new to North Dakota have found that there are help-wanted signs almost everywhere. Even companies such as Wal-Mart have to have job fairs. One recent transplant noted that the downside to all this is that housing is becoming harder to find, what with all the new people moving there, and rents are increasing. He has a spacious one-bedroom apartment and complained that his rent had been increased $70 to a total of $560.