Updated: 9 hours ago
Editor's note: 5 topics on the minds of Maine business leaders
Maine business owners have a lot to worry about these days.
But based on stories we’ve run, conversations we’re having and results of polls we’ve taken, some topics seem more pressing than others.
This is just one perspective, but based entirely on what we’re hearing now, here are the top 5 things on the mind of Maine business owners:
- Tariff on Canadian goods. Threats of tariffs with Mexico and China had a bit more abstract feel, but the tax on goods coming from our northern neighbors is weighing heavily on businesses. Fears stem around hikes in prices for heating fuel, gasoline and construction materials — all of which could affect the cost of running a business. A poll of Mainebiz readers found that 73% of respondents said we need to “do everything we can to avoid a trade war” with Canada.
- Taxes and the cost of doing business. This big, messy topic encompasses state and local tax burdens, regulatory issues and inflation. It’s a catch-all that has a lot of business owners feeling frustrated and powerless.
- Workforce shortages and rising wages. These two issues go hand-in-hand. Jobs are going unfilled. Workers that are retiring cannot be replaced. And when business owners find a suitable replacement, the wage or salary demands often test the operations budget.
- Lack of affordable housing. This is tied in with the previous issue. It’s harder to find workers if the people in the labor pool can’t afford the area where you’re based. This issue affects workers at the bottom of the pay scale and workers at the top of the scale.
- Need for child care, cost of health benefits. These are related to what we might call the happy home factor. You seldom hire a person who doesn’t have family or outside obligations. Changes in health benefits, lack of child care — these issues often lurk in the background for business owners. But the cost of health care and an employee who quits because they can’t find child care — those end up being direct areas of concern for a business owner.
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