DALLAS — Texas is one of the top states remote workers are choosing to move to and live in, based on new national data.
Nearly 11% of workers who went remote because of the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed a desire to move to a new city would choose Texas, according to a MakeMyMove survey.
MakeMyMove is a worker-community connection online marketplace that helps people looking to relocate find remote jobs that fit in with that plan.
The company finds and shares financial incentives being offered by different companies throughout the country.
Along with Texas, California (21%), Florida (20%), New York (14%) and Georgia (11%) topped the survey's options.
"The pandemic made this concept a reality," Evan Hock said. He is the co-founder of the company.
The Indianapolis-based MakeMyMove started three years ago, initially meant to help Indiana companies recruit people from out of state to come work in Indiana.
Last December, Hock and his team decided to expand its outreach and make this process a national company.
"Our core tech platform essentially finds people that have regional affinities," Hock said. "We then use big data and targeted marketing to identify folks that might want to move to a new city."
Jonny Mack is one of these people. He used to live and work in Seattle for Alaska Airlines in the creative marketing field. The pandemic forced Mack to work remote for the first time in his career.
"My wife even would make fun of me because she was like, 'You could not work from home,'" Mack said. "It was an adjustment."
Mack's wife had a baby during the week that the first COVID-19 case in America was announced. That influenced Mack and his wife to decide to move back to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area, where they both grew up and had family.
Mack took on a new job while working remote before going back to Seattle-based Alaska Airlines - all while still working from North Texas.
During his time at the job in between working for Alaska Airlines, he never met any of his coworkers in person.
"I'm an extrovert, so I want to be around a lot of other people," Mack said. "It was certainly an adjustment."
Part of this adjustment was for the better, Mack said.
While having more time to spend with his newborn and family, Mack said he also feels like he's become more productive while working from home.
"You tend to work more," Mack said. "I think you're employer gets more out of you when you work from home. You can focus more when you need to focus. And you can allow yourself to be distracted if you need to be. And distracted from the right thing."
The data from the MakeMyMove survey shows many people likely feel motivated to remain working from home, as well.
The survey included more than 1,000 people nationwide who started working remote because of the pandemic.
Here are some of the key findings:
- Nearly one-third (29%) of remote workers say they are either "likely" or "somewhat likely" to move to a city in the next 18 months while continuing to work remotely.
- More than 80% of the remote workers considering a move to Texas say they would move to a new city for $10,000 if the community had the amenities they wanted.
- Of the people surveyed, 100% reported they would like to maintain some level of remote work privileges post-pandemic.
- More than 92% say they would likely look for a new job if their current employer revoked remote work privileges.
- Nearly 60% say remote work has had a positive effect on their emotions.
Hock said Texas is a state many people want to move to because of its affordability, the outdoors and there's a lot of available land.
"Texas has been eating New York and California's lunch for a while now," Hock said. "It's only going to continue to grow."
Hock said his company's studies show there were five million people working remote before the pandemic hit. That number has now risen above 30 million.
"We are finding strong evidence that this is the new normal," Hock said. "If you can do your work at a desk, you can do your work at a desk from anywhere."
Mack said while he's had to get creative to figure out ways to get consistent collaboration from his coworkers, this is a lifestyle he could see being a part of his work life for the rest of his career.
"I would have to leave the house probably right when she woke up and wouldn't be home until after she went to bed," Mack said, talking about his daughter. "Now, the whole work-life blend has been huge. Things seem more a part of your life."