Declines in Maine’s legacy jobs drag on Joe Biden’s manufacturing boom

Maine is unusual among U.S. states in that job losses in older industries, especially at paper mills, canceled out gains at manufacturers in newer growth industries, James Myall, policy analyst at the liberal Maine Center for Economic Policy, said. One example is the 230 workers at the Pixelle Specialty Solutions paper mill in Jay that lost their jobs when it closed in March.

“There has been a decline in some of the legacy industries in Maine at the same time there have been increases in things like pharmaceutical manufacturing and transportation equipment,” Myall said. “But those are canceled out by the paper mill layoffs.”

Click here to read the full story, first published July 27, 2023 in the Bangor Daily News.