Workforce Shortage Leads Otter Tail County to Create Job Portal for Businesses in County

Otter Tail County (KDLM) – Otter Tail County and Otter Tail Lakes Country Association (OTLCA) have launched a new countywide job portal.

The job portal connects jobseekers and people looking to move to the area with opportunities. It automatically collects the more than 1,000 available jobs from employers in Otter Tail County into one feed, providing a one-stop-shop for people to find opportunities that match the career they are looking for.

The job portal is a partnership between the County and OTLCA and also includes workforce partners and local employers to collaborate on solutions to the workforce needs in the county. The idea for an aggregated job portal was developed last summer when the County began discussing COVID-19 recovery initiatives to help people return to work and close the workforce shortage that existed before the pandemic.

Recent data shows that while the unemployment rate in the county has returned to pre-pandemic levels, there has been a reduction in the available labor force. This reduction means the shortage of workers is now more severe than before the pandemic.

The portal, and other resources for employers and jobseekers, can be found at www.ottertaillakescountry.com/jobs.