Work for ME 2023

Tyler Player, who founded Player Design Inc. in Presque Isle in 2008, added Ashland log manufacturer MaineFlame Inc. in 2020 and acquired fabrication shop K-Pel Industrial Services Inc. in Fort Fairfield in 2022. MaineFlame is now planning a $7 million expansion to add the production of steam-exploded wood pellets for heating and industrial power needs domestically and overseas.

Throughout all the changes — rising interest rates and turmoil among banks with large tech holdings — Maine’s banking industry has remained sound. Banks and credit unions continue to hire for a range of positions.

A quick guide to the manufacturing companies in Maine.

Whether a business in the sector operates seasonally or year-round, the influx of summer tourists requires it to add workers or throw away financial opportunities. In 2022, Maine tourists extended their stays and spent a record $8.6 billion.

"During turbulent times, it is important for employers to go back to the drawing board and reevaluate their policies pertaining to employee attraction and retention," guest columnist Nancy Marshall writes.

Guest columnist Liz Johnston, a labor lawyer at Verrill, says that while summer is a busy time for many businesses in Maine, it's important not to lose sight of key labor laws.

To navigate the shortage of carbon dioxide, which provides carbonation to beer, Maine brewers are having to find additional suppliers and monitor usage more carefully.

Maine’s manufacturing output remains is down from its heyday, but has been rising steadily in recent years, with a much greater diversity of roles for workers than in decades past.

There's still a huge demand for physician assistants, physical therapists, radiologists, phlebotomists and a wide variety of other medical jobs in the state.

Guest columnist Tony Shurman, president and CEO of Wyman's, says employee recruitment and retention can come down to a few basic concepts.