Maine's labor force is showing signs of stabilizing following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic. That's according to a new report from the state Department of Labor analyzing trends over the last 10 years.
Mark McInerney, with the department's Center for Workforce Research and Information, said there's a more even balance between the number of people looking for jobs and the number of jobs available.
"Because so many employers were successfully hiring and bringing back workers, we're starting to see somewhat lower share of job openings within the state," he said.
Several other key economic indicators have also recovered since the pandemic, according to the report, including per capita income growth.
But McInerney said while unemployment remains low, Maine's older demographics could constrain labor force growth.
"We have somewhat of an imbalance with more folks that are nearing retirement ages relative to younger folks in the state that are reaching their prime working ages," he said.
