Traditional Maine Jobs
Maine is sometimes called the poor cousin of New England. Maine draws a large part of its state GDP from fishing and the sea, though the collapse of the Atlantic fisheries has caused the number of boats to decline. Maine has been shifting its economy from fishing to services and manufacturing. At least 90% of the sea shore is filled with residences and vacation cottages instead of fisheries now.
Modern Jobs in Maine
The recreational and tourism economy has exploded, though the tourism season is primarily limited to the brief summer. Snowmobiling and skiing create some work during the long winter. These state of Maine jobs often come with a place to live on site, but the employee has to find other work off-season.
Maine remains a major producer of paper and wood products. Verso Paper and S.D. Warren are major paper manufacturers. Maine has a strong ship building industry, with companies like Bath Iron Works creating jobs in welding, pipefitting and other blue collar professions. Portland has a large port. The Jackson Laboratory and HealthInfoNet are two of the largest high tech employers.
Most service related jobs are based in Portland, Augusta, Bangor and South Portland. There are ample jobs in the medical industry, with retirement homes and nursing homes continually hiring.