$1,000 'signing bonus' offered to unemployed people who get a job in Connecticut

Connecticut Governor Ted Lamont made the announcement via news conference earlier on Monday. "You see the big athletes get a signing bonus," the Governor asked, "why don't you get a signing bonus as well?"

"This is the time when people want to hire," Lamont began, "and I want to make sure people have a full incentive in place to get back to work." The incentive was part of a larger effort to get people back into the workforce but is especially focused on women.

In order to qualify for the incentive, "people must be unemployed for at least 8 to 12 weeks." Payment will only be made, however, after someone has spent 8 weeks in their new job, according to Fox61.

Governor Lamont justified the move, saying "If you need help on transportation, a little bit of extra help on childcare, we've got the upfront money that allows you to do that."

The idea is that this is particularly helpful for women, who are often the primary caregivers to children and elderly parents. Chair of the Council for Women and Girls, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, suggested that the program hopes to help fill "retail positions, positions with restaurants, the tourist industry," and other so-called "pink-collar jobs."

The money will come from CARES Act funding. People will be able to sign up to receive the incentive, which takes effect on May 24th, at the Connecticut Department of Labor website.