Seeking Jobs. Is the 'boom' in Williston, N.D. legit?

[Brian4Liberty]

Heck if you do some quick job searches in the area you will see that the yellow arches and Wally World are offering at least 16$ an hour to start.

I've had locals complaining that it's hard to find employees to work at low end jobs like supermarkets, convenience stores, waiter/waitres jobs, etc.

housing shortages, child care shortages, it's practically a miracle.... according to him .the unemployment rate is actually below zero if you factor out people who just really don't want to work.

I have heard from fellow business owners that employees have walked away from $50K jobs. Pretty much anybody with a good attitude can find work doing whatever they want. Not just oil work either: waiting tables, pounding nails, driving truck, answering the phone or even selling cars. If you're an entrepreneur, there are literally thousands of little opportunities like: Delivering lunches, mobile fueling service, delivery service for elderly, basically anybody who doesn't want to fight the massive traffic jams.

Yes, this is the miracle of a booming economy. Labor shortages result in increased value (and power) of the individual, at the same time that everyone benefits from the healthy economy. There is no need for labor Unions, and no need for government protections for workers. Employers can not abuse employees. The value of each individual gives them the power to take care of themselves.

How do you ruin this ideal societal and economic state? Import workers until the individual no longer has any value.

 

[low preference guy]

How do you ruin this ideal societal and economic state? Import workers until the individual no longer has any value.

Yeah. While there are economic problems, the government should deport Americans to create an economic boom!

 

[helmuth_hubener]

There are physically more people than beds so yes, the prices have been soaring but still not enough to go around.
They are trying to build temporary camps to house everybody.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/north-dakota-oil-boom-creates-camps-of-men.html?pagewanted=all

You're just wrong. When there are no price controls, there are no shortages, except when situations change extremely quickly extremely much, as in if there is a hurricane (or Minot is washed away by a flood), and even then the market reacts and equilibriates extremely quickly. You can drive up to Williston and get a motel room. For $100. Maybe a little more, and be sure to book in advance. Super 8 is down at $85 right now, but they're booked out to next week. Microtel probably has vacancies, though. Dickinson area is around $90/night.

So yes, there are beds available. The price is just high. Yes, people are sleeping in the Walmart parking lot. Not everyone wants to spend $2,000/month for a 2 bedroom apt. That's the beauty of the market and the reason why there are no true shortages -- via the price mechanism, people are signalled to: crowd together, fix up the back bedroom to rent, rent out the whole house and live the high life down in Florida on the income, continue on down the road to Montana where the motels are more reasonable, or move out of the place they're renting and into the Walmart parking lot. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing, albeit a cold thing when in the parking lot in November.

 

[libertybrewcity]

Type in three simple letters in google: KOG.

Get in on the dips and watch it skyrocket

It's almost just as good as making money actually living there

 

[Zippyjuan]

You're just wrong. When there are no price controls, there are no shortages, except when situations change extremely quickly extremely much, as in if there is a hurricane (or Minot is washed away by a flood), and even then the market reacts and equilibriates extremely quickly. You can drive up to Williston and get a motel room. For $100. Maybe a little more, and be sure to book in advance. Super 8 is down at $85 right now, but they're booked out to next week. Microtel probably has vacancies, though. Dickinson area is around $90/night.

So yes, there are beds available. The price is just high. Yes, people are sleeping in the Walmart parking lot. Not everyone wants to spend $2,000/month for a 2 bedroom apt. That's the beauty of the market and the reason why there are no true shortages -- via the price mechanism, people are signalled to: crowd together, fix up the back bedroom to rent, rent out the whole house and live the high life down in Florida on the income, continue on down the road to Montana where the motels are more reasonable, or move out of the place they're renting and into the Walmart parking lot. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing, albeit a cold thing when in the parking lot in November.

You think so? From the article I posted:

Motel rooms in Williston are booked solid, sometimes for years. Rents have quadrupled, and building permits have increased sixfold. Many people are so pressed for a place to stay that they commute two or more hours each day. The lucky ones will get spots at the camps.

 

[helmuth_hubener]

Zippyjuan, I gave you the truth. Call up a motel in Williston and see. Call a week or two in advance and you'll have no problem. Articles are sometimes wrong you know, hard to believe, but there it is. Sensationalism sells.

 

[Zippyjuan]

I can get info from some who have tried:

Let's try the Airport International Inn:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...International_Inn-Williston_North_Dakota.html

Reviewed December 1, 2011 NEW


I was thrilled to find a vacancy during a recent visit to Williston after several days of repeatedly calling the various local hotels to check for cancellations. Everything stays booked up in this center of the ND oil boom, so you can't find anything by searching online. The Airport Int'l Inn had the two rooms I asked for this day,...

Reviewed November 18, 2011


Had a hard time finding a place in Williston and took a room here because it was the only one available. I expected to find a run down hotel from the reviews online. While expensive in relation to its quality globally speaking, the value is fine for Williston at this time.

How about at the Marquis Plaza?
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re..._Plaza_and_Suites-Williston_North_Dakota.html

Reviewed June 18, 2011


I came into town with no hotel and ALL the hotels are booked for more then 90 mile radius.Ciara Walker and Nick Day went above and beyond the normal customer service. Ciara new her regulars and thought that there might be a room available that one of her regulars didn't need so she kept calling them until she was finally...

I was up visiting my husband who is in the oil field in Williston. I found out quickly that there is not much to choose from when trying to book a motel room as it is so busy with the boom going on. My first impression was very positive as the lady that I talked with on the phone for...

Perhaps the Missouri Flats Inn?
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...issouri_Flats_Inn-Williston_North_Dakota.html

We are out of state contractors that have had the privledge of staying at the Missouri River Flats. Heather Grayson was willing to make a maintenence call to our room on late Sunday evening. I know that she could have easily responded the next morning. Given how difficult it is to find a room in Williston, we very impressed on...


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Maybe the Travel Host:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...views-Travel_Host-Williston_North_Dakota.html

Reviewed September 11, 2011


Williston is in the midst of the North Dakota oil boom. It is hard to find a room here as the oil workers (and then we found out in early Sept. the out of state, hay-cutters too), have all the rooms taken. I made our reservation six months in advance. Williston is building more housing and motels as fast as...

 

[helmuth_hubener]

You appear to think I am saying something I am not really saying, or perhaps I think you are saying something you are not really saying. Because all of those quotes, you'll notice, are of people who got rooms. If there were no rooms, that would be impossible.

I told you the Super 8 is a week out right now, and there's probably only a few motels with vacancies on any given day, and those will fill up by early afternoon. I mean, this is obviously a shortage in the sense that the price has gone way up and the motels, apartments, etc. are operating at full capacity. But it's not a shortage in the sense that there are no beds available.

To review, I posted that you can indeed find places to stay, but for a nice (high) price. You replied that no, there are physically more people than beds, implicitly saying that I was wrong and it will be impossible for the OP to find a place to stay. I replied with very specific local info, because I actually am pretty familiar with the situation and recently took a trip to North Dakota specifically to scout the housing situation. You replied that I am wrong, and posted more info, obtained from some internet reviews (also valid info, don't get me wrong). I think we are just misunderstanding each other somehow. There is obviously housing available. The market is tight. I don't know what else to say. Can you agree that I am right and might know what I am talking about?

 

[Zippyjuan]

San Francisco has more cars than parking spaces yet you can drive by and sometimes find parking space available. Sure beds turn over but that does not mean that the demand is not greater than the supply. Where are they at? In their cars? Campers? Transitioning?
http://www.sfcarfree.org/transit.php

San Franciscans know that the smart way to travel in this bustling city is to use transit. Why? There are 469,484 cars, motorcycles and trucks registered in San Francisco and only 334,625 city-managed parking spaces!** You do the math – on any given day there are more than 130,000 cars looking for parking!

You are right, though. We can argue over exactly how many there are or aren't but I think we can agree that housing is scarce in the area and leave it at that. Time to move on to other subjects! I do get carried away sometimes.

 

[helmuth_hubener]

Where are they at? In their cars? Campers? Transitioning?

I don't know what "transitioning" is, but otherwise: yes. There are some people living in there cars. There are a whole lot of people living in campers. Of course, campers do have beds! .

I don't know how one goes about counting beds anyway, seems kind of hokey to me.

My advice to the OP is that you only live once, just go up there and throw yourself into the thick of it. No need to over-prepare. If the situation is going to be good for you to find work and prosper, you'll know within a week. In fact you'll almost surely be hired within a week. That's my advice.

 

[KCIndy]

y need to run "heat" through 2 times in the winter.
COOLANT! make sure it is at the ratio needed for -40 or better!
Same for window wash fluid.
You will want wiper blades designed for extreme cold. NAPA has them. (softer rubber and the moving parts are shielded)
Have your truck lubed. You want all the joints greased up good. Metal gets very brittle at low temps.

Yeah, great point about the washer fluid. Best off-the-shelf you can buy is the Prestone de-icing washer fluid. That buck-and-a-half per bottle blue sh*t will freeze up into a solid block in your washer fluid reservoir. I had it happen once when I got my oil changed at a SpeedCo down south. I forgot to warn the guys NOT to top off the washer fluid, and I went rolling out with the blue stuff. Gack! Ever try to thaw out the contents of a washer fluid reservoir??