Maryland Adds 16,700 Jobs In February, Unemployment Falls Slightly To 5%
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland added 16,700 jobs in the month of February and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 5%, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state's unemployment rate is still one of the highest in the country, behind only Washington D.C. (6.1%), New Mexico (5.6%), Alaska (5.4%), California (5.4%), Pennsylvania (5.1%) and Nevada (5.1%), according to federal data. The national unemployment rate is 3.8%.
Between January and February, the unemployment rate fell by 0.4%. Compared with February 2021, the rate is down 0.7%.
More than 2.7 million Marylanders were in the workforce last month, up from 2.684 million in January 2022, an increase of 0.6%.
According to the Maryland Department of Labor, the Education and Health Services sector saw the greatest increase from January to February, adding 5,400 positions.
The Leisure and Hospitality and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sectors also saw significant gains, adding 4,700 and 3,800 jobs, respectively.
Manufacturing jobs in Maryland declined by 200, the state labor department said.
