Vermont is hoping to attract new residents and boost its population and workforce by paying some of them to relocate to the state.

The state starts accepting applications Jan. 1 for the program, which pays people who work remotely for an out-of-state company to move to Vermont.

The state will pay those new residents up to $10,000 over two years. The grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis with $500,000 allocated for the program. Among the expenses that can be covered are relocation costs and computer software and hardware.

“We hope it will help recruit workers to our state and serve as a solid building block in developing solutions to the demographic challenges we face,” Republican Gov. Phil Scott said in a statement.

Source: www.thestate.com