Jobs

[GeauxSioux]

It struck me this morning while reading the WSJ how fragile the job market is. I see where the third largest chemical company in the world was contemplating filing for Chapter 11. You never know whose job may get axed.

I thankfully still have a job, but you never know what the new year may bring. I was at a recent state BOD meeting for our industry and heard stories about contractors in South Florida that have no work and are waiting for the phone to ring. We have seen the bid market drop to margins near 0% profit just to keep the employees working and cash flowing.

With all of this in mind I thought we could start a thread for people who either have lost their jobs, are looking for a job due to their current uneasy situation or for those who know of jobs that may need to be filled or possible leads.

Jim, if this thread is out of line for SS.com, go ahead and delete it.

[dakotadan]

www.jobsnd.com

www.nd.gov Job Resources

[GeauxSioux]

www.jobsnd.com

www.nd.gov Job Resources

Good resources, but I've never been hired for an advertised job. Mine have either come from word of mouth or knocking on doors. The best job I ever got was from simply walking in the door with a resume in my hand.

[Siouxmama]

Can anyone answer this?

Is it really more profitable for the guys to stand out on the corner of Walmart or Target, freeze their a$$ off with a cardboard sign in their hand and ask for money than it would be to actually go to job service or businesses to apply for a job?

And what about the guy with the dog. How does he feed him?

[ScottM]

Good resources, but I've never been hired for an advertised job. Mine have either come from word of mouth or knocking on doors. The best job I ever got was from simply walking in the door with a resume in my hand.

I tend to agree. Once I got some solid experience in my field, any job I got was either from "word of mouth" from friends/competitors in my industry or when I was called by a headhunter. Actually, when I lived in MSP and was tasked with hiring, I tended to look for UND grads whenever I could.

[dakotadan]

Good resources, but I've never been hired for an advertised job. Mine have either come from word of mouth or knocking on doors. The best job I ever got was from simply walking in the door with a resume in my hand.

That is also how I got my current job. I spent a day driving around the region in my suit dropping off resumes in person and asking them to keep me in mind if anything ever opened up. Just over a month later I received a phone call that a position had opened up. I interviewed and had the job within a week. That was over three years ago and I am still with the same company.

[jimdahl]

I'm sure most people have seen this by now, but just in case:

Microsoft to slash 5000 jobs

I haven't yet seen any info on the potential impact on Fargo.

[Oxbow6]

I'm sure most people have seen this by now, but just in case:

Microsoft to slash 5000 jobs

I haven't yet seen any info on the potential impact on Fargo.

Buddy of mine who is up the ladder at Microsoft here in Fargo said there will be cuts. He speculated on a number, but said nothing official yet. Considering Fargo is the largest US campus outside of Redmond, and with the expansion building going on right now in Fargo, it will be interesting to see how many jobs are cut from the Fargo campus.

[Siouxfan_inDenver]

http://www.denverpost.com/technology/ci_11529337

Article about Fargo's Microsoft offices, that was in the Denver Post.

[Oxbow6]

Buddy of mine who is up the ladder at Microsoft here in Fargo said there will be cuts. He speculated on a number, but said nothing official yet. Considering Fargo is the largest US campus outside of Redmond, and with the expansion building going on right now in Fargo, it will be interesting to see how many jobs are cut from the Fargo campus.

1000 employees in Fargo, 5.5% cut in work force worldwide...you do the math.

[Big A HG]

I wish everyone the best of luck with their jobs. It's a frightening experience that can only be known if you experience it...so I hope no one has to.

My dad has worked for Kohler Co. for about 20 years and is a Project Manager for some of their operations here in North America and some overseas. His office is slowly shrinking with more and more layoffs. He hasn't gone yet...thankfully...and has been told he'd be the last to go, but it's still scary nonetheless, especially with so few other job oppurtunities out there.

[jimdahl]

40-50 cuts in Microsoft Fargo yesterday

Though with only ~1000 of the planned ~5000 cuts in so far, who knows what the future holds.

[jimdahl]

This article, Caterpillar to slash 20,000 jobs as profit falls, got me thinking about Deere and its Phoenix Intl unit in Fargo.

While Deere recently reported great results, that was for FY08, which ended Oct. 31. The Caterpillar article noted that their business really hit the wall in Dec. I wonder if Deere will see any of the same weakness?

Edit -- forgot, Bobcat too, right?

[jloos]

This article, Caterpillar to slash 20,000 jobs as profit falls, got me thinking about Deere and its Phoenix Intl unit in Fargo.

While Deere recently reported great results, that was for FY08, which ended Oct. 31. The Caterpillar article noted that their business really hit the wall in Dec. I wonder if Deere will see any of the same weakness?

Edit -- forgot to mention Bobcat, too.

DE will most likely follow CAT to a lesser degree. Farm equipment sales have been and likely will be much better than general equipment sales, due to the commodity boom. However, with the boom turning to bust the farmers will be hurting in the next year or so as well. Hopefully things stabilize a bit by that point.

The idiots in the legislature are doing their best at spending the ND surplus. Somebody should let them know this is a global economy and ND is not immune. The drilling in Western ND will stop very soon unless oil gets above $60-70/bar. As noted above large corporations have a significant face (at least in Fargo). Microsoft, Otter Tail and MDU are all feeling the recession. Deere will likely join them soon.

[wyomingsiouxfan]

There has already been a cut in drilling in Western ND, maybe not as much in the Stanley area and areas north, but there is now only 1 rig drilling in Bowman County. Unless oil prices go up again, there will be a drastic cut in production throughout the state, the Baaken included. This, of course, will mean that the intense revenue provided by the oil industry for the state will be cut back as well. I read today that there is talk of giving $100 million back to the ND taxpayers in a refund check kind of idea. It might be nice for those who receive the checks, but it could be catostrophic for the state down the road, especially if it isn't going towards something like education, infrastructure, healthcare, or property tax relief. You are right jloos, ND is not immune to the global economic downturn and we can get burned if we aren't careful.

[jimdahl]

This article, Caterpillar to slash 20,000 jobs as profit falls, got me thinking about Deere and its Phoenix Intl unit in Fargo.

While Deere recently reported great results, that was for FY08, which ended Oct. 31. The Caterpillar article noted that their business really hit the wall in Dec. I wonder if Deere will see any of the same weakness?

Edit -- forgot, Bobcat too, right?

More equipment manufacturing distress in Fargo...

Fargo's Case New Holland cutting 140 jobs for hourly employees

Fargo’s largest manufacturing employer, Case New Holland, is cutting 140 jobs effective March 16. Case New Holland, manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, is cutting the hourly positions due to the continuing weakness of the economy and a need to align production with demand, said Ralph Traviati, CNH Global North America head of news and information.

[jimdahl]

Job Opportunity Index: North Dakota Ahead of the Rest

According to the MainStreet.com Job Opportunity Index, the jobs are not in the most populous states such as New York and California but are in the less densely populated middle of America. North Dakota, the 3rd least populous state in the U.S., took the top spot on the Index while New York came in at #35, Illinois ranked #36, and California landed at #44. The Job Opportunity Index, which ranks all 50 states and the District of Columbia, looked at two factors in determining which states offer the greatest employment opportunity: available jobs in a given state (relative to state population), and the unemployment rate in each state.

Fits with all the reports that ND's employment has been, relative to other states, much less affected by the recession.

[star2city]

14 Metros still not in recession

Of the 14 metro areas still not in recession, again this month only one showed an expanding economy: Laredo, Texas, a border community energized by trade with Mexico

[wyomingsiouxfan]

American Express announced today that they are closing their Dickinson office. 150 people will now be unemployed. That's a big number for a town the size of Dickinson. The recession has hit the gas fields of Wyoming.....as of this past Friday, I'm proof! Anyone hiring?? Hahaha

[moser53]

American Express announced today that they are closing their Dickinson office. 150 people will now be unemployed. That's a big number for a town the size of Dickinson. The recession has hit the gas fields of Wyoming.....as of this past Friday, I'm proof! Anyone hiring?? Hahaha

Go to Bismarck and work at the new Bismarck Energy Center.

There will be no shortage of funds pumped into that facility.

A slap in the face to EERC. What's going next from UND?

[GeauxSioux]

Possible job losses in Fargo...Alien Technology considers closing Fargo plant

[GeauxSioux]

These aren't huge job losses, but jobs are people. Hate to see it.

2% of Microsoft's Fargo work force slashed

That means about 20 people were let go

[star2city]

Forbes Blog

2. Heartland towns like Crookston and nearby population hub Grand Forks are relatively cheap places in which to live. That, even in this downturn, is not the case in Silicon Valley, Seattle or Shanghai. An entrepreneur can get started on little capital in Crookston or Grand Forks and keep his/her costs low if the thing takes off.

Say the city skeptics: Isn't one hopelessly out of the loop in boonyack towns like Grand Forks? Hold on, slick! The times are a-changin'.

3. Heartland towns are way more connected than they used to be. Grand Forks, for example, is home to the University of North Dakota, which has a Center for Innovation-ranked eighth best undergraduate program in the country. This morning at the Grand Forks Hilton Garden Court, which is connected by closed walkways to UND's Center for Innovation, I heard Irish accents and Norwegian accents, and I saw two Southeast Asians working on a presentation. An American urban coast dweller looks at Grand Forks and sees the sticks. An Indian or Irishman sees opportunity. It all happens virtually too. Broadband is the great lever between the sticks and cities.

[GeauxSioux]

Case New Holland eliminates 120 jobs

Fargo