Darren Brostrom, director of unemployment insurance at Job Service North Dakota, said Job Service would be conducting rapid response sessions in Gwinner and Bismarck to inform employees about unemployment insurance, filing requirements, Job Service programs and other community services that may be available.

They have not been in West Fargo yet, though he said Job Service was in contact with Bobcat and would go there if requested.

The maximum unemployment benefit someone in North Dakota will get currently is $456 per week, Brostrom said. However, most Bobcat employees have filed claims before, meaning their maximum benefits are set on previous state compensation statistics, and the maximum most of them can receive is $431 per week.

Benefits can last from 12 to 26 weeks, usually, though current federal funding will cover an additional 20 weeks for some employees, Brostrom said.

Workers can learn about job searches, as well as workshops on building resumes and interviewing. Job Service also tries to match people up with open jobs according to skill and has resources for new job training.

"Obviously our real goal is to get them back to work and into a position that's suitable for them," he said.

Brostrom stressed that anyone being laid off needs to file for unemployment as soon as possible to avoid delaying payments.

- Jenny Michael