Last May, the Maine Department of Labor put out a study that stated York County had an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent ”“ more than twice the unemployment rate compared with 2001.
I have to ask, “Why have the numbers changed?”
The total labor force has remained roughly the same, and even when it peaked at 116,143 back in August 2010 the unemployment rate was still only 6.3 percent.
So what’s changed?
I chalk it up to the suffering of the national economy and a decrease in tourism, which brings me to the conclusion that the state is too reliant on tourism.
Take a walk down Route 1 in Saco, you’ll see shops, amusement parks and other seasonal businesses. What happens when the snow comes? All these businesses have to close their doors or streamline their employees due to the cold-weather lull. Over the past five years, unemployment in York County went up 2 percent from October to January each year. In Cumberland County, unemployment doesn’t even go up a full percent most years. So what are they doing differently?
From my perspective as a high school student, I don’t really mind, considering I only need a seasonal job, but what about the roughly 5,000 residents of York County who are unemployed? What about the estimated 7,500 additional residents who will be unemployed this winter? Maybe I can go a few months without working, but what about the unemployed single parents? They can’t go without work. They need to be working and not relying on unemployment.
Summer businesses, while they contribute to the economy in-season, create a problem for local people in need of year-round work. The amusement parks in Saco, for example, employ hundreds of seasonal workers, but in the fall they close their doors and those who are eligible can collect unemployment rises throughout the winter.
It seems, the last few years have shown us, that businesses cannot be recession-proof, but they could be more versatile and some could function year-round.
For example, Gorham Bike and Ski in downtown Saco operates year-round. A ski shop is only operable when skiing is in season and likewise with biking. In combining the two, a potentially bulletproof business model is born.
Now, farm stands are selling Christmas trees and wreaths in the winter and ski shops are selling surf boards in the summer. These types of businesses are “season-proof,” but can the same principle be applied to other stores and shops that are mostly tourist-reliant?
If more seasonal businesses could appeal to locals, they wouldn’t have to close in the winter. But the fault for that is on both ends when you look into the shopping habits of area residents.
Many people drive right by a farm stand or small business on their way to large supermarkets or department stores. The vegetables at the supermarket are often comparable in cost to the vegetables at farm stands. They also have freshness on their side. I bike right by a farm stand on my way to the supermarket, and I know the farm stand will match or beat the everyday prices at the supermarket.
Think of how many Americans we could put to work if we started buying local. York County could lower its unemployment rate to record lows, if we could make ourselves more versatile. If we could operate at our summer capacity year-round, we could make a truly successful and pleasant place to live for future generations.
All we have to do is innovate. We need to apply ourselves to find ways to keep our businesses profitable all year. We need start buying local in order to keep a steady flow of cash into our local businesses. Let’s be more conscious consumers and keep our neighbors in mind when we are shopping.
— Timothy Morris is a student at Thornton Academy who is active with Thornton Academy television station and will be writing this column for the Journal Tribune through the summer.
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