As Shutdown Lingers On, Government Employees Look for Temporary Jobs

Substitute teaching and paraprofessional work are among those jobs in demand

FARGO, N.D. — With some government employees going more than thirty days without a paycheck, job placement services have had a larger pool of candidates to fill temporary jobs.

“We’re seeing a lot of needs right now in customer service positions, accountants, a lot of need for construction out there, so we’re placing a lot of jobs like that right now. Anytime we can place someone who is looking for work, we just know how important that is for them and their families,” Heather Ostrowski, an Advisory Solutions Consultant at Preference Employment Solutions, said.

Some workers looking to get back into the workforce might turn to job fairs or to placement services to put their skills on display for employers.

“The first thing that we can do is just help them figure out how they can transfer their skills and abilities to something else. Sometimes they haven’t really thought those things through, so we’ll help ask questions that maybe will help them identify what their next good role could be,” said Ostrowski.

Some companies are afraid to hire government employees temporarily because they would leave right after the shutdown ends.

However, school districts, like Moorhead Area Public Schools, would love the chance to give them a chance to work.

“The school district really needs substitutes so it would be great to help us out and it would be temporary employment for them. As a substitute teacher or a paraprofessional, they would be able to have a flexible schedule with us, and they can pick what days they want to work or they don’t want to work,” said Kayla Evenson, a Human Resources Generalist for Moorhead Area Public Schools.

In North Dakota, all you need to be obtain an Interim Substitute Teaching License is a transcript with at least 48 collegiate credit hours as well as a background check, but in Minnesota, you need to have a Bachelor’s degree in anything in order to be eligible to apply for a license.

By expanding their candidate pool to include government employees, Moorhead Area Public Schools wants to make sure their day–to–day operations keep running smoothly.

“Well you know we really want to help anybody as much as we can, and I think it would be great to help us out too because we really need the employees,” Evenson said.

Moorhead Public Schools is also looking for temporary custodial workers, paraprofessionals, and school lunchroom workers.