North Dakota faces one of the most acute labor shortages in the United States, with only 30 available workers for every 100 open jobs. In response, the state established the Global Talent Office (GTO) in 2023 to help businesses recruit and retain foreign-born talent–and turned to LaMP for expert guidance on building an effective, evidence-based labor mobility strategy.
Since 2024, LaMP has served as a strategic advisor to the GTO across two phases of engagement. In the first phase, in partnership with Dalberg Associates, LaMP led a comprehensive assessment of the state’s workforce gaps, employer barriers, and visa pathway options–delivering a prioritized roadmap that now guides the office’s work. In the second phase, LaMP continues to support implementation through research, stakeholder convenings, and hands-on technical assistance, including designing a first-of-its-kind public visa navigation tool and co-producing North Dakota’s annual Global Talent Summit.
North Dakota is at the frontier of state-led labor mobility innovation–and LaMP’s work with the GTO is helping establish a model other states can follow.
