Big agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the American Midwest are on a mission to lure Silicon Valley tech workers who have been caught up in a wave of hiring freezes and layoffs, executives told Reuters.
Mass layoffs at major tech firms have opened the talent pipeline for Illinois-based Deere & Co.—the world’s largest tractor maker—and rivals who are eager to add tech workers to their payrolls as they expand into autonomous tractors, mining trucks, and other smart farming technology.
With an abundance of job openings, the companies are offering remote work arrangements and opening new offices in major cities like Austin and Chicago, a potentially attractive draw for workers who don’t want to move to smaller Midwestern cities, where many of the companies are based….