If you work remotely but your current life in a big city is starting to wear you down, you may consider relocating to Vermont for a change of scenery.
The state is offering a $10,000 incentive for you to become a permanent resident, but they'll also be benefiting from hosting as well: they want to counteract the ratio imbalance of the huge elderly population.
Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed a bill into law that will pay out-of-state workers $10,000 over a period of two years to cover their moving expenses, coworker fees, computers, and Internet.
Quarts reported that the Remote Worker Grant Program will become active on January 1, 2019, and be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
While the beautiful state boasts verdant landscapes and stunning vistas, especially in the fall, Vermont is suffering from a shrinking tax base, and the new policy was created to address the aging population.
Burlington Free Press contributor Art Woolf elaborated on the age epidemic that has been plaguing the state.
Vermont continues to age, and age faster than the nation as a whole. The latest Census Bureau numbers report that Vermont's median age rose to 42.8 in 2015. That means half of Vermonters are older than 42.8 and half younger.
Woolf also mentioned another struggling demographic.
There are 10,000 fewer Vermonters between 21 and 64 — the working age population — than there were five years ago. That's a lot fewer people to fill the ranks of Vermont's workforce, which helps explain Vermont's low unemployment rate and the proliferation of "help wanted" signs throughout the state.
The state additionally launched the "Stay to Stay Weekends" program aimed for encouraging the 13 million annual tourists visiting Vermont to to stay permanently. The networking initiative was organized by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing in the hopes it will forge relationships between tourists with local employers, entrepreneurs, and realtors.
People are definitely interested in the opportunity for a change of scenery.
FYI, the offer doesn't extend to freelancers.
For the out-of-state workers interested:
H/T - Burlington, Twitter, CNBC, Quartz
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