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