Good news for North Dakota: Up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil are estimated to be in the Bakken and Three F
orks formations, a rock bed spanning 200,000 sq miles underneath the surface of North Dakota, Montana and Saskatchewan. That would make it the biggest oil field discovered in the contiguous U.S. in more than 40 years. And thanks to a new drilling method that provides access to these oil fields located 2 miles under the earth’s surface, North Dakota is now the fourth largest oil producer in the US, only trailing Texas, Alaska and California.
This find is having a huge impact on the North Dakota economy. People are streaming into North Dakota in the hopes of getting a job in the oil fields or related support services. Even local businesses are flooded with applications from people wanting to settle in North Dakota and eventually reap some of the profits of working in the oil industry. This influx has pushed the North Dakota unemployment rate to the lowest in the country.
While this would seem to be all good news, there are drawbacks. For example, Lillian Hoffman and her husband opened a cafe in Killdeer, North Dakota, five-years ago. She recently told the BBC how she needs about five more staff persons for her café, and how she’s not able to give the present staff any time off. The people she is able to hire usually last a few months before leaving the café for employment in the oil fields or related industries, thus causing a continuous turnover of personnel. As a result, she works longer hours with no additional help.
Despite Lillian’s challenges, however, it’s clear that opportunities abound in North Dakota these days. And that’s why if you’re located there, or are planning to migrate to North Dakota to seek employment, now is the perfect time to position yourself for success by enrolling in Dale Carnegie Training courses.
Dale Carnegie Training delivers leadership, sales, interpersonal and communications skills essential to improving the performance of individuals, teams and organizations. Prepare now and you’ll be ready for whatever opportunities may be coming your way.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of North Dakota, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in North Dakota. We would love to connect with you on Facebook.
Photo credit: Ambro
