Abreanna Blose
| Reporter assisted by AI
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The Jacksonville region is once again offering people to pay to come live there.
The Make My Move talent attraction program, now in its second round, is targeting professionals in engineering, manufacturing, healthcare, legal, accounting and education with a $9,000 incentive, according to a community announcement.
The program aims to strengthen the workforce by enticing qualified candidates to fill critical roles in the region’s employers and institutions. Since the program launched in May 2024, it has encouraged seven new residents to relocate to Morgan or Scott counties.
To qualify, applicants must earn at least $70,000 annually, live at least 70 miles outside the Jacksonville region at the time of application, relocate their primary residence to Morgan or Scott County within six months and remain a resident for at least one year to receive the full $5,000 cash portion of the incentive. Priority consideration is given to candidates taking local jobs in targeted industries, though remote workers are still eligible.
Employers urged to use program as hiring tool
According to the announcement, interested professionals should review current job openings in Jacksonville’s targeted industries, confirm eligibility and submit documentation demonstrating income, current residency and relocation plans.
Regional employers are urged to use the relocation incentive program as a competitive hiring tool to attract high-quality talent.
Program brings new faces to the region
Emily Clough and her family moved from Muskego, Wisconsin, to Jacksonville, seeking a slower pace of life and proximity to family. The Make My Move program offered a financial incentive to support their relocation.
“It was a big help,” Clough said in the announcement. “We probably would have moved anyway, but it made the process easier and helped us settle in faster.”
Clough, who works remotely as a deputy project analyst manager for Brown and Caldwell, said the program helped offset the cost of relocating and introduced her family to local restaurants, events and activities.
“When you’re new, you don’t always know where to start. This program gave us direction,” she said in the announcement.
Program connects talent with employers
James Gaudio and his wife also relocated to Jacksonville, drawn by family ties and a desire for a stronger sense of community. Gaudio’s background in manufacturing and engineering aligned with Jacksonville’s strong industrial base.
“I applied for the incentive as a remote worker at first. Then Kristin (Jamison), who runs the program, asked if she could share my résumé with local employers. That’s how I found CCK Automations,” Gaudio said in the announcement.
CCK Automations offered Gaudio a role as a process engineer, less than a mile from his new home.
According to the announcement, the Make My Move incentive program aims to connect talent with employers in industries that need skilled professionals.
This story was created by reporter Abreanna Blose, ablose@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.