A new study commissioned by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and the Maine Department of Labor finds that more than 80,000 people established residency in Maine between 2019 and 2023, but only about a third are working for Maine-based employers.
The rest are either retired or working remotely for out-of-state businesses.
Phoenix McLaughlin, DECD's director of strategy implementation, said one of the state's goals is to eventually match some of those remote workers with local companies.
"I think we're hopeful that, over time, we'll see that part of the workforce grow into employment at Maine employers," he said, adding that his department wants to help connect new arrivals with jobs based in Maine. "Making that connection happen so it is that one-to-one match for the Maine workforce."
The report finds that many of those moving into Maine came from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York, based on surveys and an analysis of Bureau of Motor Vehicle data.
Maine's 10-year economic plan calls for adding at least 75,000 new workers to the labor pool by the end of the decade.
