© Provided by Chron When the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to work at home, few knew they were part of a paradigm shift in who wields the power of the workplace, according to the website MakeMyMove.com (MMM). MMM is powered by TMap, a talent recruitment startup co-founded by Bill Oesterle, creator of Angie's List.
"Remote workers are already exercising their new mobility, migrating away from unlivable cities on the coasts. What they've yet to fully realize is the economic power that comes with that mobility," Oesterle said. "For decades, cities large and small, have offered companies relocation incentives because they bring investment and people with them as they move or grow."
Osterle went on to say that American workers decoupled from the traditional workplace are in control of their own geographies in a way they've never experienced before.
"Their educations and incomes make them highly-desirable residents for any community that understands the importance of talent attraction as the engine for economic growth," Osterle explains. "The places that get it are offering incentives directly to the workers. The companies aren't in control anymore: the workers are."
The shift is as significant as the Industrial Revolution which saw millions of workers leave rural areas to take jobs in factories in big cities, added Evan Hock, Oesterle's TMap and MMM co-founder.
"For the first time ever, millions of workers are free to choose the place that is right for them," Hock said. "People who can take their jobs with them are taking serious looks at a move."
Whatever the reasons for a move - moving from a rural to an urban setting or trying to get closer to family - Hock is helping them find "incentive packages to sweeten that life change."
Many communities are offering cash, free land and free travel, said Hock. Yet he advices remote workers to be cautious by quirky offers.
"New residents are worth tens of thousands of dollars to local economies," he said. "We built this marketplace so communities could compete for new residents, and we expect that competition to drive value to the worker."
Hock went on to say that "these relocation packages for remote workers aren't a tough sell to the communities that understand talent attraction is the engine for economic growth. It's just math."
And the numbers prove it. PEW Research Center estimates 71% Americans are currently working from home, up from only 20% prior to the coronavirus outbreak. When the pandemic is history, more than 50% of those people want to remain remote.
Many large companies have already agreed to more flexible work arrangements. And nearly 30% of remote workers don't intend to go back to the office.
Nearly 23 million Americans currently working in major cities in tech careers say they're ready to leave big city expenses behind them, according to Hock. And approximately 30% of remote workers have no intention of returning to the office.
Hock said "workers have proven they can be productive remotely, and do not want to "return to the 9-to-5 grind in congested cities where even massive salaries don't let them afford the life or family situation they want."