North Dakota

New agency poised to tackle ND workforce challenges

Published

1 year ago

August 28, 2023

New agency poised to tackle ND workforce challenges

BISMARCK — A newly minted state agency is poised to help tackle North Dakota’s workforce shortage even as a promotional campaign that kicked off a little over a year ago continues to make headway.

That’s according to Katie Ralston Howe, director of the Work Force Division of the North Dakota Department of Commerce, who said the first order of business for the Office of Legal Immigration, recently formed by the state legislature, will be to hire a consultant to help develop the scope and goals of the young agency.

Officials who have been dealing with workforce development have been hearing a lot of questions about immigration, according to Howe, who said while officials can speculate on what the opportunities may be in that area, “We want to understand how we best support employers, communities, individuals and families when it comes to navigating the opportunity for bringing in global talent.”

Job Service North Dakota estimates about 40,000 job vacancies exist in the state.

The Office of Legal Immigration, part of the North Dakota Department of Commerce, is legislatively mandated to develop and implement a statewide strategy to support recruitment and retention of foreign labor, including immigrants already in the U.S.

Other things the agency will be tasked with include:

Advising and making recommendations to the governor, legislative assembly and state agencies regarding immigrant integration and foreign labor issues
Developing a pilot program that supports businesses pursuing or employing work-authorized immigrants and supporting communities to develop integration plans and activities
Partnering with other state agencies to develop and administer programs or services related to immigration integration.

While a perception exists among some that government payments made as part of pandemic relief and stimulus were a big part of why some have left the workforce, Howe believes whatever impact such payments may have had is now over.
“I think it (opting out of the workforce) has less to do with choice and comfort and not working and more to do with external factors that are affecting someone’s ability to work,” Howe said, adding that some of those external forces include barriers like child care and transportation.

She said affordable housing is another factor often mentioned when it comes to people who are interested in moving to North Dakota to fill jobs and create a life in the state.

North Dakota’s

Find the Good Life promotional campaign

has been paying dividends when it comes to luring workers to the state. The effort is credited with bringing in 29 workers since it was launched in early 2022, according to Howe.

“That number doesn’t include the number of spouses and children that came with those 29 workers; when we add that in, we’re almost double that number,” Howe said, noting that there are about 2,000 leads in the pipeline regarding possible new workers.

As far as the 29 new workers the state knows about thanks to the Find the Good Life campaign, Howe said it may not seem like a large number considering the number of job openings in North Dakota. But, she added, “You have to start somewhere and we’re making progress.”

Overall, North Dakota has about 3,000 more workers in its workforce than it had a year ago, according to Howe, who said some of those people might have learned about North Dakota through marketing work the Department of Commerce is doing, or they might be students who stayed after graduating from college.

“We’re trying to pin down what’s working the most, so we can double down in those areas,” Howe said.

For more information, visit

commerce.nd.gov/workforce/office-legal-immigration

I’m a reporter and a photographer and sometimes I create videos to go with my stories.

I graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead and in my time with The Forum I have covered a number of beats, from cops and courts to business and education.

I’ve also written about UFOs, ghosts, dinosaur bones and the planet Pluto.

You may reach me by phone at 701-241-5555, or by email at dolson@forumcomm.com.

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North Dakota

Bankruptcies for North Dakota and western Minnesota published Jan. 18, 2025

Published

1 hour ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court

North Dakota

Generations on 1st LLC, Fargo, Chapter 11

Parkside Place, Fargo, Chapter 11

The Ruins, Fargo, Chapter 11

Gary Lee Heilman, Minot, Chapter 7

Bryan Lee Ellison, Bismarck, Chapter 7

Christa A. and Christopher S. Benjamin, Newburg, Chapter 7

Robert Craig Ashby, Fargo, Chapter 7

Shirley Lee Hatten, Grenora, Chapter 7

Mitchell Don Frieler, Fargo, Chapter 7

Minnesota

Bankruptcy filings from the following counties: Becker, Clay, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail, Polk, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin.

Kelly Dean and Jeanne Sheree Fingalson, Detroit Lakes, Chapter 13

Barbara Rae Vaughan, Fergus Falls, Chapter 7

Lynn Rene Schroeder, Dilworth, Chapter 13

Chapter 7 is a petition to liquidate assets and discharge debts.

Chapter 11 is a petition for protection from creditors and to reorganize.

Chapter 12 is a petition for family farmers to reorganize.

Chapter 13 is a petition for wage earners to readjust debts.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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North Dakota

Letter: Legislators are once again putting lipstick on the pig

Published

9 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Letter: Legislators are once again putting lipstick on the pig

To the editor,

After watching the smoke and mirrors dog and pony show in Bismarck it is obvious that the Legislature has no intention of reforming the unfair property tax.

No mention was made concerning the unfairness of this tax that severely burdens poor taxpayers, while letting many rich taxpayers off the hook with little to no taxes. Nothing was said about the state totally funding K-12 education, which is mandated by the North Dakota Constitution. If education isn’t funded by the Legislature, all the legislators need to be charged with violating their oath of office and be fined, fired and imprisoned.

Instead, all that is being proposed is to put makeup and lipstick on the pig and tell us they are working on it.

Will they be able to fool the people once again or will the people see that they are once again just putting lipstick on the pig? Time will tell.

Steve Moen
Minot, North Dakota

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North Dakota

Deer mice in North Dakota

Published

17 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

What is the most abundant mammal in North America? I saw that question used in trivia recently. The answer was deer mouse. I am not so sure about that, in part because deer mouse is used to refer to a genus of mice as well one of the species of the genus. Either way, deer mice are certainly one of the contenders.

There are over a dozen species of small mammals that the casual observer may refer to as mice in North Dakota. That would include the house mouse, deer mice, voles, pocket mice, jumping mice, and shrews. The term deer mouse is used to refer to mice in the genus Peromyscus. Most are gray or reddish brown with a white underbelly, white feet, and comparatively large ears. And they are often characterized as having large “bulging” eyes. Robert Seabloom in his Mammals of North Dakota lists two species of Peromyscus in North Dakota.

What is commonly known as a deer mouse (P. maniculatus), a species of the grasslands, is common and abundant throughout the state. They are around 6 inches long, including a tail about 2.5 inches long. Although juveniles may be gray, adults are usually a brown to grayish-brown. Seabloom also notes that they have “distinctly” bicolored tails which helps in identification.

The deer mouse feeds largely on seeds and insects. Home range for these mice is around 2-3 acres. They are prey to several animals including snakes, hawks, owls, and fox. They are also a major carrier of the hantavirus.

The white-footed deer mouse (P. leucopus) is a species of wooded areas, and as such is less common. It is similar in appearance to the deer mouse but is perhaps a bit larger. Seabloom also notes that their “indistinctly bicolored tail” is a key characteristic in identification.

Like the deer mouse, the white-footed deer mouse feeds largely on seeds and insects. Acorns can also be an important food item. Their home range is less than that of a deer mouse, averaging around one acre

If you are interested in more information on the biology, ecology, and identification of these and other North Dakota mammals, I suggest you check out Mammals of North Dakota by UND professor emeritus Robert Seabloom. First published in 2011, it is now in its second edition.

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