Maryland Adds 2,700 Jobs in August

Maryland’s unemployment rate remains below the national average at 2.9 percent

BALTIMORE, MD (September 20, 2024) – Maryland added 2,700 total jobs in August, including 1,900 in the private sector, according to monthly data released today by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Maryland’s growth rate in August (0.1 percent) matched the nation’s. This means Maryland continues to outperform the national growth rate in 2024. Over the first eight months of the year Maryland’s economy has added 31,800 jobs and grown by 1.2 percent - faster than the national rate of 0.9 percent.

The data from BLS also shows Maryland’s labor force expanded by 5,233 new workers. The growing number of Marylanders entering or reentering the job market impacted the state’s unemployment rate, which ticked up slightly by 0.1 percentage points in August, from 2.8 to 2.9 percent. Maryland’s rate remains among the lowest in the nation and well below the national unemployment rate of 4.1 percent.

In August, the top five sectors that contributed to Maryland's job growth were: Private Educational Services (5,000 jobs); Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities (1,200 jobs); Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (900 jobs); Government (800 jobs); and Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing (500 jobs).

The five sectors losing the most estimated jobs in August were: Accommodation and Food Services (-1,700 jobs); Construction (-800 jobs); Retail Trade (-600 jobs); Other Services (-600 jobs); and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (-600 jobs).

Each month, BLS adjusts employment patterns based on typical seasonal hiring patterns. It is possible that this seasonal adjustment process may be impacting Maryland’s data this month and that gains in Private Educational Services and losses in Accommodation and Food Services, for example, reflect typical seasonal patterns occurring slightly earlier than normal.

Note: Data is transferred to the Maryland Department of Labor’s website directly from BLS servers. Our database may be refreshed with a brief lag. For more immediate access to this month's jobs data, please visit the BLS website. 

Please visit the Maryland Department of Labor's website to view the current employment situation.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jamie Fragale