Study finds hospitality industry contributed $7 billion to state economy, Maine Public reports

Maine Public reported a new University of Maine study found that the state’s hospitality industry employed about 59,000 full- and part-time workers last year and generated $4 billion in taxable retail sales, with a total contribution to Maine’s economy of almost $7 billion. Steve Hewins, CEO of the industry trade group Hospitality Maine, said this is the first time the industry has categorized all the existing jobs and what they pay. Hewins said researchers found about 45 different job categories from servers and cooks to bookkeepers and event planners. He said the Maine hospitality industry is facing a workforce crisis, and his group is trying to let the public know about available opportunities and create a plan to recruit more workers. The Bangor Daily News also published the Maine Public report.