Job Service North Dakota requires weekly certification through Job Service ND Online at jobsnd.com/individuals/unemployment-insurance each week. North Dakota requires 3 documented work search contacts per week. Job Service ND Online certifications ask about earnings, job search activities, availability for work, and job offers refused. North Dakota's low general unemployment rate — and the Bakken's boom-bust cycle — means Williston, Minot, and Dickinson area claimants may face very different job market realities than Fargo, Grand Forks, and Bismarck claimants. North Dakota accepts work search contacts with Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, and remote employers toward your weekly 3-contact requirement.
- Certify weekly in Job Service ND Online. 3 documented work search contacts per week required.
- Report all earnings including Bakken, agricultural, and temporary income each certification week.
- Job Service North Dakota offices in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, and Williston provide job referrals.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on Job Service North Dakota's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
Work Search Documentation in Job Service ND Online
Log each contact in Job Service ND Online with: employer name, position, contact method (online application, phone, email, in-person, job fair), contact date, and result. Bakken workers searching during oil price downturns often need to search across the full Bakken region (western North Dakota, eastern Montana, western South Dakota energy sector, Saskatchewan, and Alberta) to find the 3 genuine contacts per week. Job Service North Dakota accepts oil field contacts anywhere these companies operate — even in other countries. Fargo and Bismarck claimants have more local options and often include Minnesota and South Dakota contacts.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I'm a Bakken oil field worker and all the local Williston employers just had layoffs too. Can I contact oil companies in other states or Canada for my work search?
- Yes — Job Service North Dakota accepts work search contacts with oil and gas employers anywhere they operate, including other US states (Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas) and Canadian oil patch employers (Alberta, Saskatchewan). During Bakken-wide oil price downturns, oil field workers in Williston are expected to search the wider oil and gas employment market geographically. Log each contact in Job Service ND Online with the employer name, country/state, position, date, and method. Applications to Permian Basin companies in Texas, Canadian Natural Resources or Cenovus in Alberta, or Wyoming Basin energy companies count toward your weekly 3 contacts. Job Service North Dakota office in Williston has industry connections and can help identify active hiring in other oil field regions.
- I did per diem oil field work for 3 days this week and earned $900. How do I report this in Job Service ND Online?
- Report the $900 in your Job Service ND Online certification for the week you earned it. North Dakota's earnings disregard allows you to keep a portion of part-time or temporary earnings without full benefit offset — the specific disregard amount determines how much of the $900 is offset against your North Dakota UI. At $815/week maximum benefit and $900 in 3-day oil field per diem, your partial benefit calculation depends on North Dakota's current disregard formula. Contact Job Service North Dakota for the specific current disregard rules. Report the full $900 accurately — Job Service North Dakota cross-matches certifications against North Dakota quarterly wage records, and unreported oil field per diem income creates overpayments that Job Service ND pursues for collection. Per diem wages paid by the company (daily allowances for food and lodging) may be treated differently from base wages — clarify with Job Service North Dakota whether company-paid per diem allowances count as reportable earnings.
- Job Service North Dakota told me I must attend a reemployment services appointment in Williston. Must I attend when oil field jobs are my specialty?
- Yes — Job Service North Dakota mandatory reemployment services appointments are required as a condition of continued Job Service ND Online benefit eligibility. Job Service North Dakota profiles claimants at higher risk of extended unemployment — Bakken workers with specialized skills during oil downturns are sometimes flagged for mandatory reemployment services because their skills are cyclically unemployed, not permanently. Attend as required. The Williston Job Service office has specific experience with Bakken oil field workforce transitions and can connect you with contacts at oilfield service companies still operating, energy companies hiring in other regions, and retraining options for adjacent industries. Missing a mandatory Job Service North Dakota reemployment appointment without advance rescheduling suspends your Job Service ND Online benefit for that week.
- I moved from Williston to Fargo to find work. Can I still collect North Dakota UI from Fargo?
- Yes — relocating within North Dakota doesn't affect your Job Service ND Online claim. Update your address to Fargo in Job Service ND Online immediately. Fargo's job market — larger, more diversified, with healthcare, agriculture, finance, technology, and manufacturing sectors — may produce faster reemployment for oil field workers willing to transition to adjacent industries. Fargo Job Service North Dakota office provides Fargo-specific job referrals and employer connections. Your work search contacts shift to Fargo employers and could also include Moorhead and Dilworth (Minnesota) employers across the Red River — Minnesota contacts count toward North Dakota's 3-contact weekly requirement. Continue certifying in Job Service ND Online weekly with 3 contacts from your new Fargo geographic base.
- I've been on Job Service North Dakota UI for 16 weeks. Are there any North Dakota-specific resources for oil field workers in extended unemployment?
- Job Service North Dakota offers Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) referrals if your oil field layoff resulted from foreign oil competition affecting your employer — TAA provides retraining benefits, extended income support, and health coverage tax credits beyond standard UI. Ask your Job Service North Dakota counselor about TAA eligibility. North Dakota also has North Dakota Workforce Development Council programs and retraining grants for workers transitioning from oil and gas into growing North Dakota sectors like renewable energy, healthcare, and manufacturing. The 26-week Job Service ND Online maximum means week 16 is a good time to contact Job Service North Dakota about all available extended resources and transition assistance — especially if the Bakken hasn't recovered sufficiently to provide returning oil field employment during your benefit period.