Of course there will still be loggers, shipbuilders, and line workers in papermills, but there won’t be many of them. Technology has advanced, allowing twenty-five workers in a lumber mill to do what required a hundred workers a generation ago, and those traditional industries are shrinking because of larger changes in the economy.
Maine has the oldest median population of any US state, and many of its experienced workers are now retiring. The percentage of those of prime working age, 18-64, is creeping downward. In ten years it has dropped from about 64% to 61% as older workers have left the labor force.
In 2018, more people died than were born in Maine. But Maine’s population still grew by a little, because enough people moved here to offset the losses. They moved here because Maine is one of the nicest places in the US to live and work in. We have some of our country’s best natural environments, most affordable housing, and lowest crime; and we have jobs. To sustain ourselves and our beautiful state, support its livable cities, its outstanding small-town life, and its impressive institutions, we need more people to learn about us, and move here. The workforce of the future will be more diverse, better educated, and younger than today’s. We must welcome them with open arms.