A recent article in the BDN discusses how manufacturing is a top contributor to Maine’s gross domestic product, and that since 2022 the jobs within this industry have fallen 0.5 percent. Overall the U.S. has had a 6.4-percent rise in manufacturing jobs, so why is it declining in Maine?
The legacy industries that have sustained Maine for decades are declining with the arrival of tech jobs. This is interesting to me as a Borgen Project supporter who advocates for the reduction of global poverty; one of the positive takeaways for the U.S. to contribute to foreign aid is that it helps increase jobs here. When we think about how poverty affects a population, it comes down to security.
The lack of food security or even housing security limits the ability to spend any amount of money anywhere else. Once people have achieved that financial security they will want to spend their money on things and activities that fulfill their self-fulfillment needs in comparison to only worrying about their basic and psychological needs.
Anna-Patrice Roberts
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