Maryland Jobs Up 2.2% Over-the-Year
Unemployment Rate Remains Below the National Average
BALTIMORE (Dec. 22, 2017) – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today released state jobs and unemployment data. According to the preliminary survey data, Maryland added 5,400 jobs over-the-month. November is the seventh month this year to post such gains. Maryland’s unemployment rate, currently at 3.9 percent, remains at pre-recession rates and once again falls below the national average of 4.1 percent.
"Job creation and economic growth are vitally important to the Hogan administration," said Labor Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. "Through innovative workforce development initiatives like More Jobs for Marylanders and its upcoming expansion More Jobs for Marylanders 2.0, we are growing the state’s private sector, putting more people to work, and strengthening our economy. Initiatives like these help employers create and sustain jobs for our state’s workforce."
Since January 2015, Maryland has gained 132,200 jobs. Of the 5,400 jobs gained last month, 3,800 were in the private sector. Compared with this time last year, Maryland jobs are up by 60,700, an over-the-year change of 2.2%.
"Maryland's continued job growth, particularly in the private sector, shows that the work Governor Hogan and the entire administration is doing to attract businesses and help them expand is paying off," said Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill. "Over the past three years, we have worked with countless companies in every region of our state to understand their needs and provide them with the support they need to grow - and that level of commitment will continue into the future."
According to the data released today, the Professional and Business Services sector posted the highest gains with an increase of 3,300 jobs, all within the Administrative and Support and Waste Management Remediation Services subsector. The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector increased by 1,600 jobs across the Retail Trade, Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities, and Wholesale Trade subsectors. Financial Activities also added 1,600 jobs: 900 jobs within the Finance and Insurance subsector and 700 jobs in the Real Estate and Rental and Leasing subsector. Other sectors that experienced growth in November include Manufacturing and Other Services.
Further, the state’s preliminary jobs estimate for October was revised upward by BLS by 1,300 jobs.
About the Maryland Department of Labor
The Maryland Department of Labor is committed to safeguarding and protecting Marylanders. We're proud to support the economic stability of the state by providing businesses, the workforce, and the consuming public with high-quality, customer-focused regulatory, employment, and training services. For updates and information, follow the Maryland Department of Labor on Twitter (@MD_Labor), Facebook and visit our website.
Note: Data is spidered in on the DLLR website directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) using Datazoa and a slight lag may exist as the database is refreshed.
For immediate access to this month's jobs data please go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website.
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