Iconic city with plenty of sun offering workers £20,000 to move there – but there’s a catch | The Sun

AN ICONIC city in the US that basks in the sunshine is offering workers £20,000 to move there -but there's a big catch.

Officials in Memphis, Tennessee, are pulling out their cheque books in a bid to entice people to fill up roles in their struggling public sector.

The birthplace of rock 'n' roll has been battered by a spike in resignations across its police and fire departments in recent years.

The resignation rate in Memphis – dubbed the music mecca of the world – climbed by a whopping 40% between 2020 and 2021.

The crippling staff shortages, fuelled by many workers ditching their jobs for private sector roles, have forced authorities to get creative.

The city has already been trying to recruit and retain cops and firefighters with hiring bonuses, but realised they need to expand their horizons further.

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Officials are now hoping to coax people into public safety posts by offering cash incentives for people to move to Memphis.

With a low cost of living, a large metro area, as well as jazz and blues bars on every corner, what's not to love?

Famed for its Southern hospitality, there is something for everyone — from its booze to its BBQ.

Those eligible to join bobbies on the beat can bag a signing bonus of more than £11,000, as well as nearly £8,000 in relocation assistance.

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And people who join the fire service are set to be handed a signing bonus of nearly £4,000, which is also the amount they will receive in relocation assistance.

Your future days off could involve you taking a jaunt to Graceland, watching the Memphis Grizzlies triumph on an NBA court, or simply soaking up the rich culture.

But there is a catch to the seemingly simple decision – those who accept the payments are required to work with the city for at least four years.

If the new recruits decide they want a career change before this time is up, they must pay back a chunk of the cash.

The recruitment scheme is being funded by cash Memphis received as part of the American Rescue Plan introduced during the pandemic.

The city reserved $13.5million out of their $161million slush fund for public safety recruitment incentives and staff support for recruiting in a plan approved last year.

Memphis' chief human resources officer, Alex Smith, told Route Fifty: "We are in a very unique labor market right now.

"Every HR leader that I'm talking to is really wrestling with this idea around this higher resignation rate and what to do there.

"I think we're all really stretching ourselves to try to do what we can to hire as effectively and as equitably as we can."

She said that the financial incentives which have been promoted on social media and in marketing campaigns have helped the city compete in a tight labour market.

Smith explained that Memphis has already hired around 180 police officers and over 160 firefighters with sign-on bonuses.

But she estimated only three police recruits have taken up the relocation payments so far.

She added: "From my standpoint, it's an effective tool to help us get people in the door."

We previously told how a firm in Tusla, Oklahoma, offered people £7,700 to move there for work.

Lucky applicants were to be awarded free co-working desks as well as invites to exclusive events to help them settle in.

And this job offered employees more than £4,000 a month for working just six hours a day – but no one wanted to take it up.

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An Australian MP pleaded for fruit pickers to step forward to sort the season's bumper crops amid a critical shortage of workers in the country.

They decided to offer the cash incentive in a bid to save millions in potential losses from ripe fruit being left to rot.

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