The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development announced a new public-private partnership with Live and Work in Maine to help identify and deliver a larger and more skilled workforce to Maine.

"One of our greatest assets is our tourism industry, with tens of millions of people from all over the world visiting Maine each year," said DECD Commissioner George Gervais, in a news release. "It makes perfect sense that any strategy to grow our workforce includes harnessing the power of our tourism industry to try and turn these visitors and even others within Maine's visitor target markets into permanent residents of Maine."

The Maine Office of Tourism's visitor research profile shows many visitors have an interest in moving to Maine, the release said. Data shows 36 percent of business owners/CEOs visiting Maine overnight in 2015 indicated they would be very likely to relocate, expand, or start a business in Maine at some point in the future.

Over the next few months DECD will enlist the help of its tourism research partner, Digital Research Group of Kennebunk, to gather additional workforce attraction-related data. This additional research will help identify current staffing needs and challenges of Maine businesses as well as demographic trends. The research will also identify target markets where people are most likely to consider relocating to Maine.

Marketing efforts based on the additional research will be conducted by Live and Work in Maine, which as a result of a competitive RFP process, has just been awarded $100,000 in FY17 by DECD.

"This partnership will accelerate efforts to engage the estimated 34,000,000 visitors to Maine each year and expand resources and opportunities to Maine employers pertaining to workforce attraction and retention," said Commissioner Gervais.

"Maine's labor market will continue to tighten as baby boomers retire," said Maine Department of Labor Commissioner Jeanne Paquette. "Recruiting new workers to move to our state, and bring their families, is a critical element of our long-term workforce development strategy. We will need workers now and in the future to sustain economic growth. This is a high priority for both DECD and the Department of Labor as we work together to build a brighter future for Mainers."

Live and Work in Maine's mission is to show the world that when it comes to quality of life and career opportunities, you can have the best of both worlds by choosing to live and work in Maine.

"Our goal when we started this initiative was to partner with entities that share our vision of attracting skilled people to Maine to meet the hiring needs of employers," said Ed McKersie of Live and Work in Maine. "We are working closely with those employers and our state government to target those who visit Maine and experience the great quality of life here. DECD has been a consistent advocate of our efforts, and we are delighted to continue our partnership to change the conversation and address the issue of workforce attraction."

With the launch of a new job board in the New Year, job seekers can learn more about specific employment opportunities, send resumes directly to employers, and find more information about the culture and mission of Maine businesses. The site also includes testimonials from professionals who have relocated to Maine, details on internships and first career options for college students and new graduates, and information on the lifestyle offered by each of Maine's eight geographic regions.

"We know how critical lower taxes, affordable energy and streamlined regulations are to business attraction," added Commissioner Gervais. "Workforce attraction is just as important a focus making Maine more competitive and prosperous."

About Live and Work in Maine

Launched in November 2015, the LiveandWorkinMaine.com initiative is a resource for job seekers and enables them to search for future employment opportunities by geography and lifestyle. With the launch of a new job board, job seekers can learn more about specific job opportunities, send resumes directly to employers, and find more information about the culture and mission of the employer organization. The site also includes testimonials from professionals who have relocated to Maine, details on internships and first career options for college students and new graduates, and information on the lifestyle offered by each of Maine's eight geographic regions. PVisit LiveandWorkinMaine.