A new report from the Maine Department of Labor highlights the continued growth of remote work in Maine. The report finds that in the last five years, the number of jobs in Maine grew by 4%, while the number of work sites increased by more than 20%.
Mark McInerney is the director of the Center for Workforce Research and Information, which produced the report.
"As remote work has become more widespread, you know, people can look for jobs, maybe in a wider geographic area," he said. "Or if you have a skill set that's well suited to a remote work job, you could even kind of search, you know, across the United States for new employment."
He said that reflects the growth of remote workers moving to Maine, but also Mainers finding remote work with out-of-state employers.
"A combination of those two things means that there are many employers that are offering remote work," McInerney said. "Maybe they didn't have any kind of presence or any workers employed in Maine, before the pandemic, but they've established new work sites in Maine, to cover new remote employees."
McInerney said the growth of remote jobs was seen primarily in the business and professional services industry.
He said he expects remote work is here to stay, and will continue to affect the economy in new ways, including the rapid rise in demand for housing.
