MakeMyMove.com has collected data on several cities that are vying for remote applications from across the country, showing that
Several cities and states have taken to offering incentives in order to get remote workers to their area.
As much as $20,000 has been offered as an incentive to gain remote employee applications, according to People, which cited data from MakeMyMove.com.
Some companies are in need of a particular skill set, and some are just aiming to expand their reach, especially considering nets can be cast wider due to the prevalence of virtual offices.
Cash incentives are often intriguing to potential employees because they are meant to cover moving expenses, which lessens the stress on the individual. A few cities within the states of Michigan, West Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma are some that MakeMyMove.com has identified as offering cash incentives.
"A lot of these towns have lost population not because they're not good places to live but because people have gone elsewhere to find work," Evan Hock, vice president of TMap, the recruiting firm that runs MakeMyMove, told USA Today.
One program was launched last year in Arkansas, through the Northwest Arkansas Council. The nonprofit secured a $1 million donation to move forward, and currently has about 32,000 applications, according to USA Today.
Oklahoma is the home of the Tulsa Remote program, a similar program that launched in 2018, offering potential residents $10,000 in addition to perks like a free year of co-working space.
"Every community is in a fight for talent," Ben Stewart, the program's executive director, told USA Today. "We believe there's lots of benefits to adding population. Our goal is to ensure Tulsa is a diverse and inclusive community."
