Iowa wants Minn. Road Workers

The Iowa DOT and the Associated General Contractors of Iowa are hunting for skilled road construction workers in Minnesota.

I stumbled across a couple Minnesota stories this afternoon discussing a Web site created by online career services firm IPG for Iowa transportation officials and contractors. From the Minnesota business daily Finance and Commerce:

Iowa highway contractors are putting out the welcome mat for idle Minnesota workers.

With the federal stimulus package offering $358 million for "shovel ready" highway and bridge projects in Iowa, the construction industry in that state wants to make sure it has enough workers to operate those shovels - and drive the trucks, and run the backhoes, and steer the skid steers.

To that end, Iowa online career services provider Industry People Group has teamed with the Associated General Contractors of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Transportation to create an unusual website that highlights highway-related work opportunities in the Hawkeye state.

The target audience includes unemployed construction workers in Minnesota.

An e-mail from Industry People Group described the website as "a new resource for Minnesota's out-of-work construction professionals. ... Through the site, Iowa employers are asking Minnesota job seekers to submit their resumes and search the database for open positions."

WCCO also had a story last week.

 Move to Iowa, idle Minnesotans. Come for the construction. Stay for the mild winters.