Can anyone fill me in on what is actually going on in the Dakotas regarding the jobs market? We keep hearing that there are many openings for many positions due to the oil extraction process and lack of suitable housing for the many who are migrating there to find work. My brother is in the construction industry and he has been researching the area but has no contact to help him with the actual situation there. It would be a huge waste of time and money for him to go there and find out that there is no work. My son's have tractors and a 6/7 car hauler and have heard that they could make a decent living transporting vehicles to the Dakotas. Is this true? How long is the work supposed to last? Are there real opportunities for people who really want to work? Are the transplants taking the jobs away from the people looking for work in the Dakotas?

Charger, It sounds like the one in Rapid City will be busy this summer, I used to work there for a few year if Im thinking of the same place as you, Im pretty sure that I am. There should be quite a few paving jobs around and maybe some chip work, worst part about those types of job is the seasonal aspect.

How's the pay and when does work start up again? Is it worth making the trip for a season?

I sure hope we're busier this year Mr.M4. Last year wasn't a great year for us. Good news is we already have as many tons booked this season as we did all last season and our estimators are going nuts bidding jobs. My job revolves more around equipment and plant management/efficiency so I don't get into the bidding side much.

To the OP, coming to Rapid City probably won't be worthwhile on pay. You'll have to decide what's "good" pay but Gillette I think pays awfully well.

As with everything wage has a huge DOE tag attached to it and wages aren't something that are openly discussed but for instance the mechanic I felt was compensated extremely well for what he did. He'd get 70hrs pretty consistently I think. Laborers obviously make less. Plant operators usually get about 70hrs as well. I was ticking off 55-60 hour weeks pretty consistently as well in Rapid City. From what I understand I believe the plants will be started again sometime mid-april and we typically run late into november or early december. Some of our guys are year round employees though. The mechanic is a year round position minus a short layoff over christmas and new years. And they're pretty good about working with you about having a yearly position if you're a good worker.

Housing in Gillette isn't nearly as much of a problem as it is in Williston either.

In short, there are a lot of jobs up here. I don't know what your brother does specifically. If he's into building houses that's not what we do. We build roads. But there is tons of work for everybody from electricians, to paving, to general contracting, house construction, to truck driving. I don't see a lot of cars and trucks being hauled here but pipe, pumps, generators, water, etc all have huge demand and are constantly going to and from the fields. The most important thing to bring is a solid work ethic and you'll ramp up the pay ladder extremely fast.

If you're interested in our company shoot me a PM and you can either mail a resume to me and I can make sure it gets to the right eyes or I can tell you where to send it.

Where would I go to look for companies who are hiring?

Thanks