Data-Driven Support for Workforce

For more than a decade, the Fargo region has witnessed workforce attraction at two to three times the national average. Yet, when surveyed, our companies often put talent attraction near or at the top of their list of challenges. This is due in large part to the growth and success of our existing companies.  

What does the landscape look like today? Are we growing? Have we found success in recruiting? Why is it still an issue? 

Let’s take a look at the numbers.

In November 2024, our region had:Between 2018 and 2023, jobs increased by 6.4% which outpaced the national rate of 4.5%. At the same time as jobs increased, labor force participation decreased from 72.1% to 71.4%, yet is still one of the highest labor force participation rates in the nation. In essence, we don’t have a lot of people on the workforce sideline to bring into the game. 

The region is fortunate to have several higher education institutions that produce graduates across various degrees. Many of these students choose to stay in Fargo Moorhead but overall, if we look at the enrollment numbers over the last five years, there has been a decline, and nationally the number of individuals turning 18 years old and ready for college is dropping and is expected to drop for the foreseeable future.  

K-12 enrollment across the metro is mostly up or in some cases steady, but it will take years for this pipeline of talent to be able to fill open jobs. And, on the other side of the age cohort is the sobering fact that beginning in late 2026 for the first time in US history we will be having more people leaving the workforce than entering. 

The data shows that while our region has experienced steady population growth, our industries have grown just as quickly.  

To answer the questions we started with, yes, the data shows we’ve seen success and the region continues growing therefore talent attraction efforts are still needed. Local survey responses confirm what the data tells us.  

Surveying Local Recruiters

In partnership with the FM Human Resources Association (FMHRA), the GFMEDC distributed a survey aimed to learn about work environments, hiring trends, benefits, skills gaps, program utilization and prioritization of future workforce programming post Covid.  The survey was completed by 111 organizations (51 representing primary-sector companies) representing 33,800+ regional employees which is 22.6% of all employees in the region with 15 different sectors represented.

According to survey results, robust hiring is expected in the next 12-18 Months. The full data set reported the need to fill more than 4,300 positions with the largest number of positions (77%) attributed to turnover and 18% to new positions. 

Nearly two thirds of those surveyed reported they are not having issues with retention and cite good compensation and culture as the primary drivers for strong employee retention. There is still a desire by many companies to continue prioritizing their company culture as it was listed as a top priority by survey respondents.  

Data at the Ready

To best support companies, we display real-time data  on our website. Data driven decisions help companies make smarter, more efficient decisions.  

Economic Data on GFMEDC Website 

Our organization keeps people up to date on things like regional market comparisons, the breakdown of our population by education attainment or industry characteristics. Real-time data helps prospective companies, local companies, investors and partners understand our market so they can make more informed decisions.  

GFMEDC Metro Data 

Economic Indicators 

Gathering monthly data about unemployment rates, labor force, building permit numbers, cost of living and taxable sales (among other data) provides a valuable overview of the region’s economy. The information helps investors and partners provide a benchmark against our progress over time.   

GFMEDC Economic Indicators

Cost of Living

As we market to attract new business and workforce, we employ tools that help inform those decisions. Participating in data collection and offering an embedded tool that compares cost of living between our metro and another participating metro is one way we do that. It’s data that supports a more informed decision.

How it works

The Cost-of-Living Index compares the cost of living in one metro versus another to help job seekers, researchers, organizations like the GFMEDC, and site selectors.

Our organization gathers pricing information for more than 60 commonly used goods and services to be included in a quarterly index. The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), a national research organization, analyzes the pricing and publishes a quarterly index of this information. Pricing information is gathered on housing costs, groceries, specific clothing items, entertainment, utilities and more to understand how prices are changing in real-time and how they compare against other metros.

“Knowing where a dollar goes the furthest helps residents find the best place to call home and businesses relocate to fit the needs of its employees,” said Tyler Baines, COLI Project Manager/Research Analyst for C2ER.

The Index has been published by the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) since 1968 with data recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and CNN Money.

Cost of Living Calculator

All the data tools 

Beyond the data we provide on our website (including our economic indicators), we pull from various sources to not only understand our market but help companies accomplish their goals quicker and more effectively. We use a lot of data to drive decision making. The data tools not only support company success but provide an overview of the landscape. 

Tools GFMEDC Uses 

Strategic economic data to compare to other markets

Local partnerships to survey and gather relative economic data

Visualize and show Open jobs, labor market data in our region