It's no surprise where the job growth was in Bismarck and Mandan last year:Retail.

"There was some expansion of existing businesses, but also new businesses,"Dan Schumacher, with Job Service North Dakota, said of retail growth in the Bismarck-Mandan area.

Schumacher announced on Thursday that 2,000 jobs were created in the area from 2005 to 2006, bringing the non-farm employment from 56,800 to 58,800. From 2004 to 2005, the city increased jobs by 1,600.

And he said the growth in retail and hospitality was most obvious. Indeed, two Wal-Marts opened and expanded, Target expanded, Gateway Mall was able to lease out all of its space, businesses went up on Main Street in Mandan, and Pinehurst Square Shopping Center blossomed like a spring tulip.

"I would say primarily the growth that we've experienced was in the retail and the service sectors in our economy," Schumacher said, adding that the growth in those areas similar from 2004 to 2005.

The construction industry has been going strong as well, according to Job Service data. Schumacher said no industry seemed to suffer from job loss, however.

"Iwould say the growth will continue at a fairly consistent level, maybe not quite at the level of growth that we saw this last year,"Schumacher said. "But there's obviously quite a bit on the radar."