INSIGHTs & INTUITION

Essentia Health has incorporated social media platforms such as LinkedIn as a way to engage with prospective employees and present opportunities.

But that’s just the start of how we engage with employees and the public online. Our philosophy and culture promote employee recognition and support. We use social media platforms such as Facebook to recognize employees for the great work they do every day.

If our colleagues volunteer in the community, win an award or wear red in support of Heart Month, we want to sing their praises and publicly acknowledge them.

Microsoft engages with candidates through various social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Considering our new partnership with LinkedIn, we primarily engage with our professional networks through that channel; however, we continue to leverage channels such as Twitter and Instagram to share employee stories, fun photos and our exciting working environment (often viewed by #MicrosoftLife). We truly enjoy being able to connect and engage with candidates from many different channels in order to showcase the great culture of our Microsoft Family. We hope Prairie Business readers connect and learn more about what we have to offer.

Missy Schmidt Recruiter KLJ Bismarck , N.D.

KLJ is always looking for new ways to attract the right candidate. Currently, our greatest reach is through Facebook and LinkedIn. The number of followers among employees as well as the public help us to share our posts, which often can reach thousands. Facebook offers the ability to boost job openings, which allows us to target a certain geography and even people with the type of background and experience that the position requires. In short, social media has given us the ability to expand our reach to candidates who we might not otherwise have had contact with, all while using other recruiting tools.

The exploding growth of social media has significantly changed the way people communicate. Not only do individuals go on an organization’s website before they apply for a job position, but also they check out the company’s social media channels to get a feeling of what the work culture is and how they may, or may not, fit in.

By having a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram, we can really tell our story in many different forums and engage with people to be a part of our team before they apply.

We continue to see new opportunities, especially using Facebook to reach potential candidates from other cities and states.

HR Business Partner CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck, N.D.

Proportion of adults at work by ethnicity In Northern Plains states

Regional Employment Rates (%)

Open enrollment trends in Minnesota school districts

Source: “A snapshot of open enrollment trends in rural Minnesota,” Center for Rural Policy and Development, Mankato, Minn., January 2018

Academic Year:

On the whole, rural districts are more likely to see a net gain in students through open enrollment while regional center districts are more likely to see a net outflow. Metro districts tend to stay fairly steady. The trends for both rural and regional center districts are strengthening.

More Productive Than Ever

bakken rig count and oil production per newly drilled well

Source: U.S. Census, with numbers compiled by Dashboard, 2016 Data

Cropland shifts toward larger farms

“Cropland in the United States has shifted to larger farms. Large crop farms (with 2,000 acres or more) accounted for 36 percent of U.S. cropland in 2012, compared to 15 percent in 1987.

“Most of that cropland shifted from midsize crop farms (with 200 to 999 acres). Midsize farms operated 47 percent of U.S. cropland in 1987, but that share fell to 29 percent by 2012.”

Source: Chart published Feb. 1, 2018, on FedGazette.com

SOURCE: Creighton University February 2018 Mainstreet Economy Report

The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index declined slightly in January from December’s weak reading, remaining below growth neural, according to the latest monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a 10-state region dependent on agriculture and/or energy.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, December 2017

Leading

SOURCE: Creighton University January 2018 Mid-American Report

The December Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index, a leading economic indicator for the nine-state region stretching from Arkansas to North Dakota, rose for the month, pointing to healthy growth for the next three months.

Overall Index: The Business Conditions Index, which ranges between 0 and 100, climbed to 59.0 from November’s 57.2. This is the 13th straight month that the index has remained above for the region over the next three to six months.