Program that brought Ukrainians to North Dakota oil fields ends
By JACK DURA
Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An oil and gas trade group in North Dakota has ended a workforce recruitment program that brought Ukrainians from their war-torn country to North Dakota’s oil fields to fill jobs. The North Dakota Petroleum Council pitched the Bakken Global Recruitment of Oilfield Workers program as a workforce and humanitarian solution amid a labor shortage in North Dakota and the war in Ukraine. The program placed about 60 Ukrainians with 16 employers in western North Dakota from July to November 2023. Lack of demand from companies led the trade group to shelve the program. The group’s president says the program is a model for companies to use.