Gov. Janet Mills urges recruitment of more women into Maine's construction workforce

Gov. Janet Mills said the state needs more construction workers to build housing, fix roads and bridges, expand high-speed internet and improve transportation safety, and she urged employers to recruit and train more women to meet that demand.



"We need construction workers now more than ever before," Mills said in a recorded statement, and added that women remain underrepresented in the trades. She cited national and state figures, saying women make up about 11% of the construction industry nationwide and roughly 15% in Maine.



Mills said she signed an executive order two years ago to create pathways for women into construction and that the administration has worked with employers, unions and training partners to place women into jobs and training programs. "Since I signed that executive order for women in construction, my administration has worked with employers, unions, and training partners to get more than 300 women jobs in the trades and to get more than 400 women into job training programs," she said, noting participants have earned CDL licenses and other credentials to operate heavy equipment.



The governor provided participation figures for 2025: more than 300 people in pre-apprenticeships, about 3,800 in apprenticeship programs, and she said more than 1,000 of those apprentices were women. Mills described those numbers as evidence of progress while saying the state still must "knock down the barriers" that keep women from pursuing well-paying jobs in the trades.



As part of the outreach, Mills said the Maine Department of Labor has launched a women-in-trades webpage to share stories, list training opportunities with unions and education partners, promote networking with women-led organizations and provide resources for employers and jobseekers. She directed listeners to apprenticeship.maine.gov/women-in-trades for more information.



Mills closed by urging Maine businesses in construction to hire and recruit women, saying "there are women waiting to fill the good-paying jobs you offer," and she identified March 2026 as Women in Construction Week in order to "reflect on how far we've come."