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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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 Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:34 pm Post subject: Unemployed? Go to North Dakota |
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Unemployment is a national problem in the U.S., but you wouldn't know that if you travel through North Dakota.
The state's unemployment rate hovers around 3 percent, and "Help Wanted" signs litter the landscape of cities such as Williston in the same way "For Sale" signs populate the streets of Las Vegas.
"It's a zoo," said Terry Ayers, who drove into town from Spokane, Wash., slept in his truck, and found a job within hours of arrival, tripling his salary. "It's crazy what's going on out here."
The reason?
Billions of dollars are coming into the state and thousands of people are following�all because millions of barrels of oil are flowing out.
The result: A good, old-fashioned oil boom.
Here are some examples of what a boom is like in 2011.
There's no available housing, so people sleep in truck stops and Wal-Mart Stores' parking lots.
Developers have expanded plans from just a few dozen new homes and are now building hundreds of houses and thousands of apartment units.
The McDonald's in Williston is one of the busiest in the country, and they need to pay $15 an hour just to attract employees to work there. |
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2011-08-27/Unemployed-Go-to-North-Dakota/50136572/1
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For now, it is full-speed ahead, and that means hiring will continue at a rapid clip. The trickle down is ubiquitous, and the money is eye-popping.
If you have a license and no criminal record, you can get a six-figure trucking job almost overnight. Real estate construction is almost as frenzied as the oil drilling, and there's even a huge business in housing the workers who don't have housing. |
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Zackback
Joined: 05 Nov 2010
Location: Kyungbuk
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| Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm game. |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 12:02 am Post subject: |
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| It would be a good idea to set up an investment account with e-trade and invest in the stocks. I'll do that after a couple of paychecks |
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joshuascott
Joined: 01 Jun 2011
Location: Minneapolis, MN/Daegu
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:04 am Post subject: |
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I am from North Dakota, trust me out there is no place you want to live. Invest yes, work no. On the other hand if working 18hour days and the possibility of being killed is what gets you off then I would start packing now.
Enjoy the 6 months of winter! |
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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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| joshuascott wrote: |
I am from North Dakota, trust me out there is no place you want to live. Invest yes, work no. On the other hand if working 18hour days and the possibility of being killed is what gets you off then I would start packing now.
Enjoy the 6 months of winter! |
Why wouldn't anyone want to work the oil fields? |
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Italy37612
Joined: 25 Jan 2010
Location: Somewhere
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Because North Dakota is boring as hell. There is nothing to do there but drink and work. |
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northway
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Italy37612 wrote: |
| Because North Dakota is boring as hell. There is nothing to do there but drink and work. |
Some (not I) say the same about Korea. |
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Mr. BlackCat
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Location: Insert witty remark HERE
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| I have no idea about North Dakota, but it's time for governments to stop listing unemployment rates and start with underemployment rates. In my home town unemployment isn't really a problem. I can get a job there today if I wanted one. The problem is underemployment. Most jobs are part time (30 hrs) so they can get out of providing benefits, although they demand full availability so you can't get a 2nd job. They pay peanuts, too, below a livable wage. Most want a PhD in Office demographics studies just to get coffee for the boss' son. Manufacturing and mid-level white collar jobs have all been outsourced and there's no room for growth within companies anymore. So yeah, I can work at Walmart (a friend of mine is a store manager who works 60+hrs/wk and makes less than he did at a factory 10 years ago before it was moved overseas) or answer phones for some multinational and be 'employed', but I don't think that means the same thing it used to. |
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cwflaneur
Joined: 04 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 7:20 pm Post subject: Re: Unemployed? Go to North Dakota |
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If you have a license and no criminal record, you can get a six-figure trucking job almost overnight. |
Complete BS |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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cwflaneur
Joined: 04 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
| Why do you say complete BS? Have you been there? USA Today is a reputable source. It has the widest circulation of any paper in the United States. |
USA Today is a farcical source and is the print soulmate of Fox News. It has the largest circulation of any gutter rag in the United States.
You don't know what I'm making and I didn't say that they aren't. I was commenting on something on a much more specific level. |
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joshuascott
Joined: 01 Jun 2011
Location: Minneapolis, MN/Daegu
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| Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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USA Today also fails to mention that people working on the oil fields have sky rocketed prices in the towns they live in. 200-300 dollars a night for a hotel room, or if you can find an apartment prepare to pay prices 2-300% inflated.
This is no different than oil booms and gold finds of the 1800's. If you watch or have watched the show "Deadwood" on HBO I can see some of the similarities. These towns will have their hey-day's and once the oil dries up these towns will be crippled to a mere skeleton of their former selves.
On the plus North Dakota is very fiscally responsible ($1B budget surplus) so the state will make a killing off of the oil boom (2B more by 2013). Hopefully this means ill be getting a nice fat check in the mail soon  ... Hey I need some sort of compensation for living there for 22 years. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 12:27 am Post subject: |
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| joshuascott wrote: |
| This is no different than oil booms and gold finds of the 1800's. If you watch or have watched the show "Deadwood" on HBO I can see some of the similarities. These towns will have their hey-day's and once the oil dries up these towns will be crippled to a mere skeleton of their former selves. |
Sadly I see this happening to Alberta eventually. Albertans may be smug now, but their great-grand-kids won't be in 100, or so, years.
I'm from Alberta, and know that Alberta's economy isn't diversified enough. If the demand for oil were to dry up tomorrow, Alberta would be dead in the water. And all politicians do is constantly study ways to diversify the economy for the last 50 years. |
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