Md. loses 3,100 jobs in November, Labor Department says [The Baltimore Sun] 12/21 01:10 PM Dec. 21--Maryland's economy took a U-turn in November, shedding 3,100 jobs, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday.
At the same time, the federal agency sharply revised downward its estimates for October, suggesting that employers added 4,700 jobs rather than 14,000.
Despite that, the state's unemployment rate in November improved to 6.6 percent, down from 6.7 percent a month earlier, the Labor Department said. That change came as more Marylanders, not less, entered the labor force.
The unemployment figures are drawn from a separate survey than the job estimates, and the two do not always move in lockstep with each other. The job estimates are for positions in Maryland, while the survey of Maryland residents includes those commuting out-of-state -- and those starting new businesses, which don't show up in the jobs count.
Maryland was one of 20 states, plus the District of Columbia, that lost jobs over the month. The state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation called it a "disappointing month" in a statement but also characterized it as a "smoothing out of recent hiring."
Maryland hasn't had a smooth year in job creation. The federal government's estimates suggest big swings between gains and losses. |
