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Local Company Closing N.D. Office Because It Can't Find Enough Employees There

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 17, 2009

With the national unemployment rate soaring past 8 percent, the closure of a Bay area's North Dakota office because it can't find enough employees seems awry.

Tampa-based Sykes Enterprises handles computer customer care services for businesses and corporations. Thirteen years ago, it opened a call center in Minot, N.D.

Officials said the company decided to close the call center on May 10, which will result in 200 people losing their jobs. The worldwide company has 29,500 employees, operates in 19 countries and has more than 45 global centers, according to the company Web site. In 2008, it showed $819 million in revenues and $60.6 million in earnings.

Sykes marketing director Andrea M. Burnett said demand for her company's call center services is remaining steady across the nation. "But the unemployment rate in Minot is so low we can't keep our office there adequately staffed."

The company has 12 call centers across the nation. and this is the only one where help is hard to find, she said. "This problem is something we're having in Minot," she said, "this problem of recruiting enough people to keep our staffing adequate.''

The 200 who lost their jobs are being offered positions elsewhere in the company, which is helping them relocate should they decide to move, she said.

Wages at the Minot center ranged from about $8 an hour on up, depending on the client and experience, she said.

Sykes advertised for months in the Minot media for applicants to fill vacancies. While the nation's unemployment rate is 8.1 percent _ the highest in 25 years _ things aren't that bad in North Dakota. The state's 5.1 percent unemployment rate is the lowest in the nation.

Minot is home to a bustling economy that includes agriculture, oil production and a nearby U.S. Air Force base. The city has a population of about 40,000.

Sykes Enterprises also has a call center in Bismarck, N.D., that will not be affected, officials said.
The company came to Minot after being offered about $2.5 million in financial incentives, according to the Minot Daily News in a story published last week.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760.

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