• The most recent jobs report showed that between October and November, Maryland gained a total of 24,100 Total Nonfarm jobs.
  • The official unemployment rate for Maryland decreased to 6.8 percent.

According to the most recent jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Maryland gained a total of 24,100 Total Nonfarm positions between October and November of 2020. This was a result of a gain of 25,100 Total Private jobs, offset by a loss of 1,000 Total Government positions. Along with the increase in Total Nonfarm jobs, Maryland’s unemployment rate decreased to 6.8 percent in November.

Previous months have seen significant fluctuations in size of Maryland’s labor force, which have caused shifts in the state’s unemployment rate that do not correspond with the number of jobs added or lost each month. In contrast, this month’s data shows very little change in the labor force between October and November, which has allowed the state’s unemployment rate to decrease substantially as a result of the jobs that have returned to the economy.

A number of different subsectors saw significant job gains between October and November, led by a gain of 6,500 jobs in Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services. This was followed by an increase of 4,900 jobs in Health Care and Social Assistance, a gain of 4,800 positions in Transportation and Utilities, and an addition of 4,100 jobs in Mining, Logging, and Construction. The Retail Trade and Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation subsectors also each added 3,200 jobs. Job losses were more limited, with the highest amount lost in both the Wholesale Trade and Other Services subsectors, which each dropped by 1,300 positions.

Within the region, Maryland added the most jobs in November both by raw count and as a percentage increase. All states within the region reported a decrease in their unemployment rate, with Virginia reporting the lowest rate of 4.9 percent, though not all states reported an increase in the number of overall jobs. Maryland’s unemployment rate is the 2nd highest among its neighbors in November, but all unemployment rates within the region continue to change significantly from month to month.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Employment Workbook

To make more sense of what’s happening with Maryland’s employment numbers, we’ve embedded our Mid-Atlantic Regional Employment Workbook. This dashboard allows you to examine 29 different industries to see how employment is varying in Maryland, as well as four other states in the Mid-Atlantic region. 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 2017 by state.