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BALTIMORE, MD (October 25, 2007) – Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
announced that Maryland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up by two-tenths of a
percentage point over-the-month to 3.9 percent in September.
Expansion in the labor force was the primary factor responsible for Maryland’s
unemployment upturn. More than 28,000 jobseekers entered the labor market in September,
pushing the labor force back over the 3 million mark. The pace of employment expansion
lagged somewhat behind, causing the number of unemployed to rise to 116,009. Last September,
unemployment was slightly higher at 4.0 percent and the number of unemployed persons was about 3,400
higher.
Maryland’s labor market has continued to advance, keeping Maryland’s unemployment
rate below that of the nation that was reported at 4.7 percent in September.
Over-the-month gains of 5,200 jobs were recorded on private sector payrolls according
to a separate survey of business establishments. The leisure and hospitality industry was
the largest job producer in September, followed by professional and business services firms.
Professional and business services has been the largest job contributor over the past year,
with the industry’s job gains accounting for just over 25% of all private sector
expansion.
Locally, non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rates either declined or held steady in
twenty of the state’s 24 jurisdictions. Although downsizing in summer employment continued,
recall activity in education and related industries helped to neutralize these losses and
to raise employment in a number of jurisdictions.
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