A Move to Vermont Could Net You $10K, but There's a Catch

Vermont wants to pay you up to $10,000 to move there, and, yes, there's a catch. To qualify for the funds, you need to be a full-time employee of an out-of-state business who works from home. The unusual proposal, which comes with a new law signed by Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday, aims to add to Vermont's small and aging population of 625,000 at a time when a thriving US labor market is making it difficult to retain workers, reports CNN. "We recognize the need to recruit people to the state, and this is one of those efforts," Joan Goldstein, the state's commissioner of economic development, says of the Remote Worker Grant Program, which will provide up to $10,000 over two years to full-time workers who relocate to the state but work remotely for an out-of-state employer.

The funds are meant to cover the cost of moving, computers, internet, and other work-related expenses. Interested workers will want to act fast. The state has only budgeted for 100 grants to be given out over the next three years, on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, and Goldstein says her office is already receiving inquiries. That should please Scott, who notes the state has "about 16,000 fewer workers than we did in 2009," per CNBC. He hopes a separate state program will also help. The Stay to Stay Weekends program aims to convince Vermont's 13 million annual tourists to settle in Vermont for good by offering networking events with employers, entrepreneurs, and realtors, across four weekends this year, reports Quartz. The second kicks off Friday. (More Vermont stories.)