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Freeport economic partnership warns of 'structural' workforce gap, urges hotel and conference-center investment
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Summary
The Greater Freeport Partnership told the City Council that local unemployment rose in January 2026 while unique job postings outnumber jobseekers; the group urged coordinated workforce, housing and childcare strategies and pitched hotel and conference-center development to capture visitor spending and boost midweek occupancy.
A representative of the Greater Freeport Partnership told the Freeport City Council that the region faces a "structural workforce imbalance" as unemployment rose in January 2026 while local employers continue to advertise more unique job openings than there are jobseekers.
The presenter said inflation stands at about 3.3 percent (CPI) and that consumer sentiment has plunged, pressuring both household spending and business investment. "When there is uncertainty in the market, coupled with inflation and an increased cost of everyday goods, consumers will naturally spend less," the partnership representative said, linking national trends to local hiring patterns.
Why it matters: The partnership framed workforce retention and recruitment as a regional problem spanning jobs, housing, childcare and transportation. Its quarterly report recommends a four-part strategy: reduce industrial turnover, expand workforce training and apprenticeships, increase housing units and reduce commuter leakage by 10 percent. The presenter said March 2026 job-posting data showed more than 1,200 unique openings posted by 318 employers, with a median hourly wage just above $32 (roughly a $66,000–$67,000 annual equivalent), compared with a Stevenson County median household income the presenter cited at about $64,043.
Nicole, a partnership presenter who led the tourism and lodging portion of the report, said the county's three largest hotels together provide roughly 200 rooms and that the area currently "loses" visitors to neighboring markets on busy weekends because of a lack of local capacity and meeting space. "There is no place — none of our hotels currently have a meeting space that can fit over 25 people," Nicole said, arguing that a conference center would help attract midweek business travel, tournaments and conferences and boost occupancy outside the peak season.
The partnership also noted it secured a state "site readiness" grant to perform environmental assessments on key greenfield sites and said it is preparing comments and letters of support ahead of an opportunity-zone renewal in June to ask the governor to include additional census tracts in Freeport. The presenter said early conversations with landowners have already begun.
Council action and next steps: The presentation was informational; council members did not take formal action on the proposals during the meeting. The report closed with the partnership identifying developers and potential sites for future hotel and conference-center investment and plans to continue community outreach and a talent-branding campaign. The council adjourned after the presentation.
