Report: Maine's aging population hinders growth
Maine’s economy will experience slow and steady growth through 2019, but it will still be held back by its aging population and its lack of population growth, a state economist said Monday.
The Lewiston Sun Journal reported that those findings were presented by state economist Amanda Rector to the state Legislature’s Appropriations Committee as part of a Nov. 1 report by the state’s Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission.
The report compiled information from Maine associations representing manufacturing, medical, energy, financial and several other industries in the state.
"Overall, these business perspectives helped confirm the [commission's] subsequent findings that Maine's economy continues to see slow growth with considerable challenges posed by the state's aging population and lack of population growth," the report said.
State Rep. Peggy Rotundo (D-Lewiston), the Appropriation Committee’s House chairwoman, said the state should find ways to attract immigrants to address the population problem. But other committee members, like state Rep. Tom Winsor (R-Norway), said Maine should focus on attracting young workers and their families by making the state a friendlier environment for businesses, which in turn would create more and better paying jobs.
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