Attracting Talent: Lessons from Maine

For many decades, states in the Southeast and Southwest were the top places for new in-migration.  These patterns have shifted in recent years, and we’re now seeing other places among the top spots for attracting talent.  Over the past few years, Maine has become a hot spot for incoming talent,  An excellent new study from Maine’s Department of Community and Economic Development assesses the factors driving such moves, and their findings offer many useful lessons about what factors help attract and retain talented workers.

Why People Move to Maine shares findings from extensive surveys of new Maine residents, asking why they moved to Maine and what they look for in a community. Robust broadband access clearly matters, with 80% of respondents noting that remote work access allowed them to make the move. Many of the newcomers (14%) are/were self-employed.  Most of this group brought their business with them, but 30% started a company after the move to Maine.  When asked to rank the top five factors driving their relocation decisions, the respondents identified (in rank order) the following as top priorities:

• Outdoor Recreation Amenities
• Social connections:  Closer to family, friends, network.
• Ability to Work Remotely (for self or partner)
• Employment Opportunity (self or partner)
• Community Security