Report: Near-Zero Job Growth in Maine by 2026

Talk about stagnation. A new state report predicts that fewer than 100 net jobs will be created in Maine through 2026. A report from the state Department of Labor's Center for Workforce Research and Information says that although a significant number of jobs will be added in fields such as health care, food preparation and personal care, other fields such as sales, office administration and production will experience equally large job losses. The report also projects that by 2026, Maine will lose more than 30,000 workers in the 45-to-54 age range and add more than 30,000 in the 65-plus range. The upshot? With the state's unemployment rate at or near a historic low, more Mainers will be working well into what had been retirement years. Overall, the report predicts net growth of only 94 jobs in Maine from 2016 to 2026, representing total job growth of 0.014 percent over the 10-year period with roughly nine jobs added to the state's economy each year.