Phil Scott on Jobs

	Phil Scott on Jobs

Recruit and relocate workers and families to Vermont

I know looking beyond our borders to recruit new Vermonters is not always a popular conversation, but it is a tool we can't ignore. I am proposing a regional network to help recruit and relocate workers and families to Vermont. My budget dedicates $8.5 million to this program over the next three years. It will put the horsepower of modern marketing behind it, so we can welcome more new Vermonters across the state to fill our most needed jobs. Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Vermont legislature , Feb 18, 2022

Invest more to help cover interns' wages

You can expect proposals on my end to be geared towards workforce. Because whether it is training and recruitment, childcare, tax policy, housing, healthcare, infrastructure, or climate change, we must reverse our workforce trends. And just so we are clear, for any legislation to have my support, it cannot make this problem worse.

First, our internship, returnship, and apprenticeship programs have been incredibly successful, not only giving workers job experience, but also building ties to local employers. To improve on this work, the Department of Labor assists employers to fill and manage internships statewide and we'll invest more to help cover interns' wages.

Source: 2022 State of the State Address to the Vermont legislature , Jan 5, 2022

Supported right-to-work, vetoed family medical leave

Q: Support "right- to-work" laws, eliminating unions' ability to mandate dues for workers they represent?

Phil Scott: Mixed. Has supported a right-to-work law and vetoed a family medical leave bill. But has also supported teachers' right to strike.

David Zuckerman: No. Such laws "harm union and non-union workers by depressing union membership and limiting [their] effectiveness."

Source: CampusElect survey on 2020 North Carolina Gubernatorial race , Nov 3, 2020

Vetoed bill that raised minimum wage

Q: Raise federal hourly minimum wage above current $7.25?

Phil Scott: No. Vetoed bill that would have raised state minimum wage in 2020, predicting "overall negative impact on economic growth."

David Zuckerman: Yes. "Ensuring that the minimum wage keeps pace with the cost of living will help those working full time."

Source: CampusElect survey on 2020 North Carolina Gubernatorial race , Nov 3, 2020

Tie increases to the minimum wage to the cost of living

Believes the current status quo--tying increases to the minimum wage to the cost of living--should remain as is.ÿ
David Zuckerman
Thinks the state should implement stepped increases above inflation to get to a $15 an hour minimum wage over the next few years.ÿ
Once the state hits $15, believes wage increases should be tied to inflation.
Scott Milne
Doesn't think there should be a government-mandated $15 minimum wage, but thinks Vermonters should have access to wages at $15 an hour or above through organic economic growth.ÿ
Rebecca Holcombe
Supports instituting a $15 minimum wage over the next few years.
Brenda Siegel
Supports a "true livable wage," above $15, in the $22 range.
Supports legislation that has proposed a pathway to a $15 minimum wage by 2024. She thinks that wage should be tied to inflationary increases once it is set.
Small businesses would be eligible to receive grants or subsidies in order to afford higher wages.

Source: VT Digger on 2020 Vermont Gubernatorial race , Jul 30, 2020

Deal with Vermont's shrinking workforce population

The biggest obstacle we face to economic sustainability is a shrinking workforce. From 2010 to 2016, we lost an average of 2,300 workers per year from the workforce. That's 16,000 fewer people in jobs, paying taxes. Working age Vermonters went from nearly 29% to 23% of our population in only four years.

National projections show that 34 states expect to see their working age population grow over the next 25 years. Vermont currently isn't one of them. By 2040, the number of working age people across the country is expected to grow by 15%. But Vermont's will drop by more than 10%.

A shrinking workforce creates a downward spiral. With fewer workers, we have less revenue, and the state becomes less and less affordable. That makes it harder and harder to rebuild, and we're already seeing these effects. We must act now. We have avoided the reality of this crisis for far too long. I am committed to doing whatever it takes to put us on a new path to a more prosperous future.

Source: 2017 Vermont State of the State address , Jan 25, 2017

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