Booneville Teleworks Hub Creates Over 100 Remote Jobs, Boosts Local Income

The Booneville Teleworks Hub has become a sustained workforce and economic development resource for Owsley County, connecting local residents with full-time remote employment while channeling outside wages into the community. Run in partnership with Teleworks USA and local organizations including EKCEP, PRTC, Jackson Energy and the Owsley County Action Team, the hub provides digital skills training, job-readiness support and placement services aimed primarily at customer-service and technical-support roles.

Over several years the hub model has generated more than 100 telework jobs in the county. Those positions represent not only individual payroll gains but also a net inflow of outside wage dollars that circulate through local businesses and households. For a county with limited local job options and long commute distances for many workers, the shift to remote work reduces transportation time and costs, improves household cash flow, and helps retain workers who might otherwise leave for opportunities elsewhere.

The hub’s operating model combines training with infrastructure. Partners coordinated broadband upgrades and local training resources to make remote employment feasible for residents who previously lacked reliable high-speed access. The workforce component targets digital literacy, remote work skills and employer-specific readiness, closing common gaps that prevent rural jobseekers from qualifying for remote positions.

Economically, the program illustrates how targeted interventions can diversify the local labor market. Remote jobs often pay market wages set by employers outside the county, so even a modest number of placements can amplify local income levels. The presence of a telework pipeline also makes Owsley County more attractive to families weighing relocation and supports local consumer spending patterns that underpin small businesses.

Policy implications are clear: sustaining broadband investments and maintaining employer partnerships are critical to preserve and scale gains. Continued coordination among county agencies, utilities and workforce organizations will be necessary to expand placement capacity and to target higher-paying remote roles beyond entry-level customer service and technical support. For long-term economic resilience, the hub model points toward a strategy of integrating infrastructure, training and employer relationships to plug rural labor into national job markets.

The Booneville Teleworks Hub remains an active example of place-based workforce development that channels national labor demand into local opportunity. Keeping that pathway open will require steady funding, broadband reliability and ongoing engagement with remote employers to convert initial successes into durable economic growth for Owsley County.