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Report: post-inflation wages for Mainers up over the last 4 years

File - Early-morning light shines on shops on Main Street, Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Bar Harbor, Maine. Small businesses face a mix of old and new challenges as 2023 begins. A looming recession, still high (although easing) inflation and labor woes are a few things small businesses will have to tackle.
Robert F. Bukaty
/
AP
File - Early-morning light shines on shops on Main Street, Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Post-inflation income for most Mainers is up 5% compared to four years ago.

A new report from the Maine Center for Economic Policy, a progressive-leaning research and advocacy group, finds many workers in the state are faring better compared to those in the rest of the country, where wages have not outpaced inflation.

Garrett Martin, MECEP president, said that's due to Maine's strong labor market, where there are two job openings for every available worker.

"What that means for jobseekers is they're in a position of power," he said Wednesday during a virtual discussion about the report. "They're able to negotiate for better wages. They're able to negotiate for better working conditions. And employers are in a position where they need workers."

As a result, employers have hired more Mainers who have been traditionally economically disadvantaged. Their income has also increased, though disparities between those populations and white working Mainers still exist.

"We're seeing more people of color, more women in the workforce," Martin said. "More people with disabilities are actually getting hired and at higher wage levels than they had been historically."

Wages for Mainers in the lowest income bracket, however, dipped by 1% to account for inflation, and one in four Mainers are considered economically insecure.

In addition, pay for public sector workers in the state has grown more slowly than private sector wages, the report suggests.

The study also finds the rising costs of housing, health care and child and vulnerable adult care outpace the income gains that Mainers have made over the last four years.