Maryland has enjoyed an employment comeback.
According to year-end numbers released by the Maryland Department of Licensing & Regulation on Jan. 15, the unemployment rate for the state ended at 3.6 percent, substantially lower than the mark of 4.1 percent reported a year earlier.
The national unemployment rate improved as well. In a study released by the United States Department of Labor?s Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, the unemployment rate dropped from 5.1 percent in 2005 to 4.5 percent in 2006.
Loyola College economics professor Stephen Walters said the federal government is a big reason behind Maryland?s overall low number.
“Federal government spending is a big provider for local demands and is a spillover for service industries who sell to employees who work for the government,” he said. “Government seems to be the primary driver here.”
In the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation?s Jan. 15 numbers, the Maryland labor force averaged 3,002,729 eligible workers a month. Of the 3,002,729 average eligible workers, nearly 2.88 million were employed, while about 115,102 went without jobs. Unemployed rates consist of people not in the labor force who actively sought out a job during the four weeks prior to the survey. The highest unemployment percentage of 2006 for Maryland was reported in January, at 4.1 percent.
Unemployment Rate by percentage
» Maryland 3.6
» United States 4.5
Breakdown by County
» Howard 2.5
» Calvert 2.6
» Montgomery 2.6
» Carroll 2.7
» Charles 2.9
» Frederick 2.9
» Queen Anne?s 2.9
» St. Mary?s 2.9
» Anne Arundel 3.0
» Harford 3.3
» Talbot 3.3
» Kent 3.4
» Baltimore 3.7
» Washington 3.9
» Caroline 4.0
» Prince George?s 4.0
» Cecil 4.1
» Wicomico 4.1
» Garrett 4.9
» Somerset 5.0
» Allegany 5.2
» Dorchester 5.7
» Baltimore City 6.0
» Worcester 8.4
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
