Maryland Jobless Rate Rises To 7.2 Percent In July
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Unemployment continues to rise in Maryland through the summer months amid the loss of government jobs, even as the state gained 8,100 jobs overall in July.
Data released Friday shows the state's unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a percent to 7.2 percent in July. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, government jobs fell by 2,300. At the same time, private companies created 10,400 jobs in July, but the labor force declined by more than 7,900 workers.
During the recession, Maryland's unemployment rate peaked at 7.7 percent in January 2010 before declining. This summer, the jobless rate has risen from 6.8 percent in May to 7 percent in June and now 7.2 percent.
Gov. Martin O'Malley says the state can't afford to lose government jobs in the "fragile economy."
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
