Maine Jobs Council

08/27/2025

Rather than look at each issue in isolation, Maine’s voters and state government officials should consider how individual policies affect the broader strategy for the state. For example, if a new program needs expenditures approved, the impact of those higher costs on Maine’s ability to attract investment and create and retain jobs needs to be considered. Questions like, “what will this law do to grow the tax base? Will this policy retain residents, particularly those raising families? Will it reduce or increase housing and energy costs? Will it impact the delivery of health care services?” must be considered through a methodical process.

If every proposed law were reviewed for its economic impact, voters and legislators would be more apt to find common ground.

08/15/2025

At present, Maine struggles to attract new businesses because of high taxes, high energy costs, high healthcare costs and limited resources. The job sectors that are growing are predominantly in service industries, which have lower wages and smaller economic impact. This makes it difficult for families and other job seekers to get ahead, and they start looking beyond the state’s borders for opportunity. It’s a complex cycle that must be broken.

Maine is losing out to other states for jobs, workers and investments. It needs a non-partisan, strategic plan to get back in the game.

08/01/2025

Despite this chicken and egg scenario, there are proven strategies for attracting venture capital and other investments.

Maine generates 0.3% of the national GDP, yet it gets just 0.1% of national venture capital investment. Here’s how the state could attract more outside money.

07/21/2025

What should be a noncontroversial goal—growing good paying jobs that support families and communities—has become political. Issues like tax rates, public spending, education, business regulation, housing, energy and healthcare costs consistently become isolated, cyclical political debates, rather than viewed as pieces to solving Maine’s economic challenges.

Consensus is vital to creating comprehensive, long term solutions to these important challenges.

Supporting high-paying, skilled jobs—and attracting new ones—is the bedrock of re-inventing Maine’s economy for a prosperous future.

07/16/2025

By prioritizing foundational jobs, fostering a pro-business environment, reforming regulations, reducing costs, and growing revenue through economic expansion, Maine can build a sustainable and competitive economy to secure a brighter future for all of its residents.

The state is measuring at the bottom of national economic indicators. Focusing on key industries will create job opportunities, stability, and long-term prosperity.

04/30/2025

LYDIA'S LUNCH BUNCH - EPISODE 166: Chair of the Maine Jobs Council Joe Edwards and Hebert Construction, LLC owner Tim Hebert are passionate about strengthening our local economy by attracting investment, talent, and jobs. They share experiences and ideas which will hopefully lead to reinventing compromise and allow Maine to compete in the national job market. https://lydiamediallc.com/

04/15/2025

New Study Ranks Maine Poorly for Competitiveness

Augusta, ME – A new analysis conducted by experts in economic competitiveness ranks Maine poorly against other states in key benchmarks, including worker productivity, job growth, business creation, and innovation. The “Maine Competitiveness Assessment,” commissioned by the Maine Jobs Council ...

03/04/2025

For our state and communities to prosper, Maine needs to be more competitive for talent, investment and jobs.

Maine is not attracting new employment at the same rates as other states and firms are not achieving the high levels of productivity that would support increasing wage levels.

07/29/2024

Maine's drop to the 9th worst state for business not lost on the Portland Press-Herald. Bravo for calling out the urgent need for Maine to do better and recognize that "meaningful security" for our economy comes from a "robust base for small and medium enterprise."

Employers are finding it harder and harder to make it work here. We turn a blind eye to that at our peril.

07/25/2024

The bottom-line is that Maine is not competitive to keep or create jobs, which are the fundamental driver of our economy. The state very much needs a comprehensive analysis to determine why we’re not competitive followed by a strategic plan to remedy our shortcomings so we can win the competition for talent, investment, and jobs.

The Maine Jobs Council issued the following statement regarding CNBC’s recent publication of this year’s “America’s Top States for Business,” in which Maine’s ranking dropped from #39 to #42.

04/02/2024

If you look at the data, Maine's competitive position ranks low compared to other states. To make Maine more competitive, our actions need to be more strategic and laser-focused on what it takes to attract and grow more foundational jobs.

Maine’s high costs, high taxes and high regulatory burdens make it hard to succeed here.

02/23/2024

While the state says job growth is booming, Maine is seeing another trend not obvious on the surface: a number of family companies are moving out-of-state.