MD unemployment falls to 6.5 percent

Maryland's unemployment rate fell again, to 6.5 percent in April, according to figures released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The March unemployment rate had previously been estimated at 6.6 percent. April's figures were better than the national rate of 7.5 percent, but still roughly double Maryland's unemployment rate at the start of the Great Recession.

According to the BLS, Maryland's labor force grew while the ranks of the unemployed shrank. Almost 3,700 more Marylanders were employed in April than in March. Compared to April 2012, more than 31,000 more Marylanders were employed last month.

Interestingly, the data from employers showed an opposite trend. Overall, employers reported 6,200 fewer positions in April. Losses were spread broadly across the private sector--the only industries to show job growth were manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and government. The most likely reason for these conflicting trends is that Maryland workers are either crossing state lines to find work, or they are starting their own businesses and thus do not appear in the second data set.