Maine businesses may have trouble filling positions in the future, according to a study from the state’s labor department.
The study, conducted by the Center for Workforce Research and Information at the Maine Department of Labor, projected that there will be a high demand for skilled and unskilled workers in a variety of occupations throughout a broad spectrum of Maine’s economy in the coming years.
There is some question whether there will be enough workers to meet those needs. The study projected high-demand and high-wage jobs through 2014. In the study, high demand indicates that an occupation is expected to have at least 20 openings per year through 2014.
Read more about skilled worker shortages in Maine.
And all this matters b/c government agencies are so good at predicting future labor markets. Or, maybe they’re not. See specifically page 52 of this report (http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/07/art5full.pdf), where in the BLS was only able to predict 12 of the 20 fastest growing industries, and 8 of the 20 slowest growing industries.