Maine continues anemic job growth, lags nation
Maine’s job deficit is 12,600 since the end of the recession
AUGUSTA — Top Democratic leaders in the Legislature said Maine’s anemic job growth continues to lag the nation as new monthly numbers were released today.
According to the State’s Department of Labor, Maine lost 900 jobs in July, while jobs grew nationally and in the region.
Based on these most recent numbers, under Governor LePage, Maine has only created 22,000 jobs, recovering just 58% percent of the jobs lost since the recession. Meanwhile, New England has recovered 124 percent while the nation as whole has recovered 108 percent.
“The Governor should be honest with Maine people about our job growth. While our neighboring states, and states around the country have jump-started their economies, Maine has still not recovered the jobs it lost in the recession,” said Justin Alfond. “If Maine had seen average growth since the Governor took office, we would have 12,600 more jobs by now. The Governor has put ideology ahead of job growth at every turn.”
Governor LePage tanked a $120 million project when he rejected Statoil–an international clean energy innovator who was ready to put Maine on the international map with a cutting edge legacy industry that would have created hundreds of jobs and pumped millions of dollars in to our economy. Statoil has since invested $2.5 billion in the U.K.
Additionally, LePage is the only Governor in the country who vetoed five bills to increase access to life-saving health care under the Affordable Care Act, turning down nearly $1 million per day in economic investment in the state. According the Maine Center on Economic Policy, the federal investment in life-saving health care would have created and saved 4,400 jobs in the state.
LePage’s office also continues to tout the employment-to-population job growth, which shows the growth in jobs based as compared to the population in each state. According to the Maine Center for Economic Policy, the trend indicates that older workers are being forced to return to the workforce or delay retirement in order to make ends meet. From 2009 to 2013, Maine’s 55-and-older population is responsible for most of the increase in Maine’s E-POP.
“Older adults in Maine are feeling less secure in their retirement,” said House Speaker Mark Eves of North Berwick, who has made the challenges facing Maine’s aging population a top priority. “It’s a real problem when our job growth engine is being fueled on the backs of seniors who are forced to delay retirement or even return to the workforce.”
Under Paul LePage’s economic leadership, Maine has experienced, a job creation record among the worst in the U.S. since the bottom of the recession, ranking 46th out of 50 states in the latest report (July 2012). Additionally, Maine has the 5th highest rate in the country of people who work only part-time because they can’t find full-time jobs.
The state has had the second worst personal income growth record in the U.S., ranking 49th from 2009 through 2013. Plus, median household income is down $1,600 and $4,600 below the U.S. median.
Business Insider and CNBC recently ranked the state among the worst in the nation for business climate.
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