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BALTIMORE, MD (5/16/08) – Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Secretary Thomas E.
Perez today announced that Maryland’s unemployment rate inched up slightly in April
to 3.7 percent. Unemployment in Maryland has changed little from the 3.5 percent
reported a year ago, and remains well below the 5 percent nationwide rate.
With an influx of jobseekers into the market in April, Maryland’s seasonally
adjusted labor force topped three million for the first time. Employment also advanced,
but lagged behind growth in the labor force.
“We continue to see the ripple effects of the housing crisis and the overall economic
downturn in our unemployment figures, but it is also apparent that Maryland’s economic
diversity and the federal presence here have helped to keep our economy growing,” Secretary
Perez said.
“Maryland’s employment figures consistently illustrate our economic strength compared to
the rest of the nation. However, it remains clear that we still have a lot of work to do to
protect Marylanders from dips in the economy and to ensure all Marylanders have access to
greater opportunities,” Governor Martin O’Malley said.
The number of people on Maryland’s business payrolls, which includes Maryland workers
who live out of state, dropped slightly in April, with about 1,900 fewer jobs reported to
the monthly survey of business establishments. The construction and professional and business
services sectors saw the largest declines.
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