PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Department of Labor says the state is experiencing historic lows as the unemployment rate sits at 3.7 percent, meaning there are about two jobs for every one person who is looking for work.
Amid the state's low unemployment rate, businesses are having to turn toward a new pool of potential hires.
"We are always hiring, always looking for new help, especially younger people," Matthew Mcnabb, general manager of Burger King in South Portland, said.
Younger teens are noticeably working a majority of minimum wage paying jobs.
"It used to be 16 [years] or older about 10 years ago, then we started hiring 15-year-olds, and now we're also hiring 14-year-olds," Mcnabb explained.
In Maine, 14 and 15 year old's are allowed to work if they obtain a work permit from their school stating they are in good standing.
"Last year, we had over 7,000 work permit applications from 14- and 15-year-olds looking for jobs," Laura Fortman, commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, said.
During the school week, younger teens can work three hours a day and have to finish their shift by 7 p.m., and on the weekends they can work up to eight-hour shifts.
The general manager of Portland Pie Co., Jon Bombach, said working with those restrictions can be difficult, though.
"When they are in school, they have to leave at certain times and it creates a lot of stress on the rest of the staff when they have to pick up that slack," Bombach said.
According to Maine labor laws, you have to be at least 16 to use a knife in a restaurant, making it difficult for restaurants like Mister Bagel, with nine Maine locations, to find employees.
"Minimum wage keeps going up so it's not like we're not paying well, I think it's just the interest, the food interest, it's a tough business," Mister Bagel Owner Jane Baker said.
Mister Bagel went from being open every day of the week to now being closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The lack of employees in the food industry has not only caused a strain on current restaurant workers and shortened business hours but has even led to the closure of many restaurants around the state.