The most-recent jobs report showed that between February and March, Maryland gained 3,200 Total Nonfarm jobs, including an increase of 3,100 Total Private jobs and 100 Government jobs. The greatest gains were in the Professional and Business Services supersector with an increase of 1,500 jobs, while Trade, Transportation, and Utilities gained 1,400 jobs. Mining, Logging, and Construction and Leisure and Hospitality each posted gains of 700 jobs. Financial Activities, Manufacturing, and Education and Health Services had losses of 500, 300, and 300 jobs, respectively. These job gains represent industries across a wide range of skill and income levels, presenting opportunities for both white-and blue-collar workers. The unemployment rate for Maryland ticked-up to 4.3%—up slightly from 4.2% last month—with the state’s labor force also increasing by 3,227 in March. Notably, March’s release included a revision of February’s data to reflect an additional 2,200 jobs in Maryland.
Neighboring states in the Mid-Atlantic region (Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.) added a combined net 8,600 jobs in March, including gains of 7,100 Total Private jobs and 1,500 Government jobs. The greatest gains were in the Education and Health Services supersector which added 5,900 jobs, and the Trade, Transportation, and Utilities supersector which added 3,100 positions. The most-significant losses were in Manufacturing, declining 2,200 positions between February and March. Neighboring states’ unemployment rate held at 4.3% in March, unchanged from February.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Employment Workbook
To make more sense of what’s happening with Maryland’s employment numbers, we’ve embedded our new tool: the Mid-Atlantic Regional Employment Workbook. This dashboard allows you to examine 29 different industries and see how employment is varying in Maryland as well as four other states in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Using the Dashboard
To use the dashboard select a sector of the economy that interests you from the dropdown at the top. When you change the sector of interest, the map and five line graphs will update to reflect historical data for that industry. Want to know how employment changed in the sector last month? Hover over each state in the map for percentage changes. Or hover over the line graphs to get more detailed information on the number of employees each month since January 2016 by state.
About the Authors
Daraius Irani, Ph.D.
Vice President
Daraius Irani, Ph.D. serves as vice president of Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research. He fosters the development of partnerships between business, government, and education that contributes to the economic vitality of our region. He also serves as chief economist at the Regional Economic Studies Institute and is often called on by state agencies, private companies, and local governments to provide insight on proposed policies, development, and economic forecasting. With a passion for all things economic, Daraius's posts focus on a wide range of topics from immigration to bicycling.
Katie Menking
Economist
Katie Menking serves as economist at the Regional Economic Studies Institute. She has numerous roles, including primary and secondary data collection and analysis, methodology design, and report writing and editing. Katie is a primary author of Eye on the Economy, RESI’s monthly analysis of unemployment data. Read Katie’s Posts
