"I know looking beyond our borders to recruit new Vermonters is not always a popular conversation, but it is a tool we can’t ignore. Remember those 23,000 open positions? The truth is we just don’t have enough people to fill them. And because our workforce is aging, more and more Vermonters are retiring every day. We all know employers need a strong workforce to grow and create jobs which communities need to thrive. As I have noted before, “we don’t need more taxes, we need more taxpayers.”
-Governor Phil Scott, FY' 23 Budget Address
Relocation, Recruitment, and Retention
- Since 2018, consistently proposed and secured investments for the New Worker and Remote Worker Relocation Incentive programs to recruit and relocate workers and fill open jobs in Vermont.
- Added $225,000 in the FY20 budget to help recruit new workers and families at the local and regional levels through regional partnership grants to expand the workforce in regional economic centers statewide.
- Improved coordination between the Department of Labor and key workforce development partners to support training opportunities that will help Vermonters grow in their careers and gain new skills for good-paying jobs.
- Created an easier path for military members to enter the workforce through expanded recruitment, simplified processes and improved collaboration, including recruitment aimed at separating service members at Ft. Drum.
- Proposed $1 million in tax incentives in the FY21 budget to recruit and retain nursing graduates from Vermont state colleges and universities to meet the demands of the state’s healthcare workforce.
- Proposed $100,000 in the FY21 budget to help state agencies and community partners recruit and retain immigrants and New Americans.
FY' 2023 Proposals:
- $8.46M to ACCD to market Vermont as a place to live and work (including some sector-specific microtargeting activities) and to support regional partners in converting leads to Vermonters.
- $6M to the Remote & Relocated Worker Grant