FOND DU LAC, Wis. (NBC 26) -- About 25 percent of Fond du Lac County's population, an estimated 34,000 people, will be considering retirement in just ten years. Earlier this month, the economic development agency Envision Greater Fond du Lac launched a program they hope will entice more job seekers to the area.
"We have decided to actively do something about it," says Sadie Parafiniuk the CEO of Envision Greater Fond du Lac.
Parafiniuk has just launched Wisconsin's first publicly funded program that offers cash incentives to those willing to move to Fond du Lac for a job.
"What employers can offer to a potential employee is up to $15,000 to relocate to Fond du Lac County," adds Parafiniuk.
The worker relocation incentive program is open to adults looking to move into Fond du Lac County for at least one year for a job. And if an employee can cut it, they could be paid anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000 on top of their wages by their new employer for doing so.
"Then that employer can apply and get reimbursed half of what they offered," adds Parafiniuk.
And the jobs offering the lucrative incentive vary across the board, ranging from health care, the hospitality industry, agriculture trades, and more.
"People who cut hair, people who work at a restaurant, they all qualify for this program," says Rich Froh the COO of the Grande Cheese Company.
Froh says filling jobs across the county, in virtually any industry right now, has gotten to a point where employers need to offer incentives just to give their teams a break.
"When I'm out in the facility the human cry, what I hear is please, please, please, hire some more people. We can't do any more overtime," says Froh.
And with a potential $15,000 on the line for the right candidate, for the right job, many business leaders in Fond du Lac are optimistic the incentive could make a difference.
"We all have the same topic of conversation when we're together which is, how do you attract and retain talent."
To see what type of jobs are being offered with potential relocation reimbursement, you'll have to fill out an application on the Envision Greater Fond du Lac website. At this point, the organization plans on offering the matched incentives from the county to 40-60 new residents.
