Jobs and Income Midcoast municipalities grapple with staffing amid nationwide labor shortage According to Maine Center for Economic Policy Policy Analyst James Myall, there are several issues, some of which are ongoing and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, that […] Portland Press Herald Posted August 10, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Employment, Job Quality, Jobs
Jobs and Income Nearly 86,000 Mainers at risk of losing unemployment benefits in less than a month Unless Congress acts quickly, the expiration of temporary federal expansions to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system will push almost 86,000 Mainers off an economic cliff in early […] James Myall Posted August 4, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Federal, Unemployment, Wages
Jobs and Income Governor Mills has chance to transform protections for Maine workers On Wednesday, the Maine legislature passed LD 1711, “An Act To Enhance Enforcement of Employment Laws.” Now heading to the Governor’s desk for her signature, the bill would allow private […] James Myall Posted July 8, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Federal, Inequality, Job Quality, Wages
Jobs and Income Maine’s Worker shortage has deep roots As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes in Maine, business-owners have begun to raise a new economic concern as they report difficulty hiring workers to fill vacancies. These concerns […] James Myall Posted June 10, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Employment, Job Quality, Jobs, Unemployment
Jobs and Income Complex worker shortage problem strains businesses, employees in central Maine James Myall, policy analyst for the Maine Center for Economic Policy, said the availability of workers depends on the industry. He does not think the extra unemployment […] Yahoo! News Posted May 22, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Employment, Job Quality, Unemployment
Jobs and Income Lawmakers must reject plan to give corporations free pass to put workers and customer at risk The Legislature today is considering a bill — LD 1403, “An Act to Protect Maine Businesses, Nonprofits, Educational Institutions and Municipalities during the COVID-19 Pandemic” — that […] James Myall Posted May 13, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Health Care, Jobs
Taxes and Budget Mills’ budget proposal lauded for prioritizing education, revenue sharing, MaineCare The Maine Center for Economic Policy also weighed in on the spending plan, which it called a “significant win for Maine families, especially those who struggled to […] Beacon Posted May 12, 2021 Tags Budget, Coronavirus, Taxes
Jobs and Income, Taxes and Budget Speaker Fecteau’s bill would use 3-cent tax on top 1 percent to fund hazard payments for frontline workers Maine’s pandemic experience has looked very different depending on where you stand in today’s economy. Essential frontline workers, many of whom were underpaid and experienced poor working […] Sarah Austin Posted May 12, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Tax Breaks, Tax Fairness, Taxes, Wages
Taxes and Budget MECEP statement on Gov. Mills' plan for federal ARP funds AUGUSTA, MAINE — MECEP executive director Garrett Martin released the following statement regarding Gov. Janet Mills’ plan for spending more than $1 billion in federal COVID relief […] Posted May 4, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Federal
Maine’s Economy MECEP statement on Biden's American Families Plan AUGUSTA, MAINE — James Myall, economic policy analyst at the Maine Center for Economic Policy, released the following statement regarding the American Families Plan, a new legislative […] Posted April 28, 2021 Tags Coronavirus, Economic Security, Federal