Greater Freeport Partnership flags jobs growth but cites childcare and housing as barriers to hiring

The Greater Freeport Partnership told the Committee of the Whole that job postings in the county rose in May and that employers want to grow but face talent shortages stemming from childcare and housing gaps. Andrea Schulz Winter, the Partnership presenter, said Freeport’s unemployment rate rose slightly from April to May 2025 but remained below the state average (4.8%) and the national rate (4.2%). She told the committee there were 927 unique job postings in May 2025 from 249 employers, with a median wage of $26.40 per hour — “which equates to about $55,000 per year,” she said. Schulz Winter emphasized that getting and keeping workers requires multiple supports: childcare, housing availability, training and resident-retention strategies. “If we have the jobs here, that's wonderful. But when that paycheck leaves the community, so does a lot of the money that goes with it,” she said. Nicole (last name not recorded in the transcript) described a talent-attraction marketing approach that targets alumni families and young households and said the partnership mailed 158 postcards to new residents in the second quarter; 15 recipients requested more information. The partnership said June postings already exceeded 1,000. On childcare, the Partnership said it has surveyed providers and employers to inform a public-information campaign to launch in the third quarter; the campaign will target employers (to connect HR with existing subsidy resources, including the YWCA), parents and potential childcare providers to expand capacity. On housing, the Partnership has held stakeholder engagement sessions with the NAACP housing committee and United Way and said its next focus areas include financial education for renters, housing improvement resources and increasing housing supply. The Partnership also reported local business support efforts: 73 business retention visits year-to-date, a Base Camp entrepreneur training class with 14 participants (11 women, 3 men), and a Base Camp pitch competition that awarded more than $6,000 in cash prizes. A new CEO program with the school district — described as a four-credit class that places students before many local businesses over a year — was introduced as an early pipeline effort for local employers. During public comment, resident Paige Kerr criticized the partnership’s reported median pay: “Genuinely, $55,000 a year is not enough,” she said, urging the council to consider affordability pressures on households. The transcript records that comment during public comment; the Partnership’s presentation did not include a council response to that point. The Partnership did not request formal council action during the presentation; staff and partnership representatives outlined next steps for the third quarter, including the childcare information campaign and continued stakeholder engagement on housing.