(The Center Square) – North Dakota’s labor force grew from 342,463 to 414,311 over the past 20 years, a 21% increase, according to the annual North Dakota Workforce Review issued by the Labor Market Information Center.
The state’s unemployment rate also declined.
“In 2022, the number of unemployed people in North Dakota was the lowest it’s been in the past twenty years, and employment surpassed pre-pandemic levels,” the report said.
North Dakota had tied with South Dakota for the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 2.1%, according to the report. The national unemployment rate was set at 3.6%
The majority of North Dakotans work in office and administrative support. But the number of people employed in the sector declined by 19% over the past five years, according to the report.
“Most occupation groups showed net decreases in employment in the same period,” the report said. “The average decrease in the 5-year period was 2,699 by number and 12 by percent.”
The transportation and material moving sector bucked the trend with a 16% employee increase. Nearly 5,800 people took jobs in the industry in the past five years, a 16% increase.
The healthcare support sector experienced the highest percentage increase at 40% over the past five years.
State officials predict the office and administrative support sector will grow the most in the 10-year period from 2021 to 2031. An additional 8,754 jobs could be added to the sector, a 29% increase. Other sectors expected to grow are transportation and material moving and personal care and service.
