It’s hardly news that Minot and the region have a workforce shortage, so it was good to see this issue as a focus of Gov. Doug Burgum’s visit this week to discuss his Mainstreet initiatives.

Better still is to see that many factors were the subject of discussion and not just those with which leaders and others among us might be most comfortable.

Burgum referenced the need “to build attractive communities that will attract people to come and live in North Dakota.”

It seems like such a simple and obvious thing, but some in our communities still resist even modest attempts to invest in quality of life improvements. Yet, quality of life concerns are essential ones to retain local talent, much less attract talent from out of state.

Burgum also said that our communities need to be more welcoming to newcomers. “We have to drop all that because it’s not about how long you lived here, how long your relatives lived here, that makes you a North Dakotan. If you chose North Dakota and North Dakota is where you want to be, that’s part of what being a North Dakotan is,” he said.

Other roundtable participants chimed in with various other ideas, all worth discussion. For example, Minot Public Schools Supt. Mark Vollmer said when it came to keeping students in state that the focus may not necessarily need to be specific job skills, because there is no college degree for insurance agent. He said students need skills in communication, management, work ethics and being a self starter.

While a few economic ideas were discussed, some of the chief impediments to successfully growing the workforce have been and remain vexing. Our cost of living is high, our economy is driven by commodities with a broad range of fluctuation and this is not the easiest place from which to access the rest of the country where new residents might still have friends and family. Yes, for some, these obstacles may be dwarfed by our benefits, ranging from safety to good schools to generally fiscally responsible government.

But not everyone will feel that way. That’s why it’s a good thing to continue talking about the workplace shortage and means to address it. It will take a concerted and holistic effort.