Jobs and Income Data reveals return to work not affected by $600 unemployment boost There’s no relationship between expanded Unemployment Compensation payments and individuals’ likelihood of returning to work, according to two recent studies. One, by researchers at Yale University, finds that more generous UC payments are not […] James Myall Posted July 31, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Unemployment
Taxes and Budget Forecasted 3-year, $1.4 billion revenue shortfall reinforces need federal, state action to protect critical jobs and services New revenue projections released by state officials on Wednesday reiterate that Maine faces jaw-dropping revenue shortfalls that demand a strong federal response and a willingness by state […] Sarah Austin Posted July 29, 2020 Tags Budget, Coronavirus
Jobs and Income, Maine’s Economy REPORT: Cuts to Pandemic Unemployment Compensation would harm 182,000 Mainers The COVID-19 relief plan released by US Senate Republicans on July 27 would slash Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) by $400 per week, affecting approximately 182,000 Mainers […] James Myall Posted July 28, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Incomes, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Consumer Finance Watchdog Agency Delivers a Gut Punch to Maine Consumers Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released new regulations on payday lenders. Instead of reigning in the notoriously greedy industry, the Bureau eliminated common sense […] Jody Harris Posted July 17, 2020 Tags Consumer Protection, Federal
Maine’s Economy 86,000 Mainers face steep income losses if Congress doesn’t extend pandemic unemployment benefits The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetimes. The urgent public health requirement that Mainers stay home as much as possible has […] James Myall Posted July 16, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Incomes, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Tracking the economic impact of COVID-19 in Maine MECEP is monitoring several short-term indicators to track the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Maine’s economy. Sources for each indicator can be seen in the descriptions below. Indicator 1: COVID-19 cases in Maine […] James Myall Posted July 9, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Economy, Food Insecurity, Health Care, Housing, Medicaid, Unemployment
Maine’s Economy Policy Memo: Distribution of Coronavirus Relief Funds in Maine The following is a reproduction of a memo produced by MECEP policy analysts Sarah Austin and James Myall for the Governor’s Economic Recovery Committee. To see the […] Sarah Austin Posted July 1, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Recession
Health Care Black Mainers are 8 times more likely than white Mainers to be hospitalized for COVID-19 New data from the Maine Center for Disease Control shows that Black Mainers are more than eight times as likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 as white […] James Myall Posted June 30, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Racial Equity
Maine’s Economy While signs of improvement appear, Maine unemployment remains at unprecedented levels While the latest data on Maine unemployment claims show some reason for hope, Maine’s unemployment levels remain at unprecedented levels three months after the coronavirus pandemic sent […] James Myall Posted June 12, 2020 Tags Coronavirus, Unemployment
Health Care Black Mainers now 20 times more likely than whites to experience COVID-19 — and the disparity is growing Black and African American Mainers are now roughly 20 times more likely than whites to have contracted COVID-19, according to data released by the Maine CDC. One […] James Myall Posted June 5, 2020 Tags Coronavirus