Statewide Industries Project Growth, While Unemployment Declines In Baltimore
According to the Maryland Division of Labor and Workforce Development, the healthcare and social services industry was the largest employer in Maryland in 2012 with 340,858 workers. These numbers are expected to remain strong, with a projected increase of 17,868 workers, or 5.24 percent, by the year 2014.
The education services industry is expected to experience a 5.42 percent increase in workers by the year 2014, climbing from 259,474 to 273,527. Professional, scientific and technical services industry has a projected increase of 4.49 percent, or an additional 10,520 workers, which will expand the 2012 numbers from 234,214 to 244,834.
The industries of mining (4.3 percent), agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (3 percent) and utilities (2.68 percent) are all expected to gain employment next year with projected increases of 67,181 and 273 workers respectively. These industries are followed by the projected employment increases of 1,192 (1.87 percent) in transportation and warehousing, 4,436 (1.57 percent) in retail trade, 1,444 (1.53 percent) in finance and insurance and 1,904 (0.65 percent) in government. As one of the smallest industries statewide, management of companies and enterprises is projected to increase by 4,482 employees, or 18.39 percent.
Hardest-hit industries, or those with negative projected job growth between 2012 and 2014, are real estate and rental and leasing losing 149 workers (-0.35 percent), construction losing 1,370 workers (-0.96 percent), wholesale trade losing 1,050 workers (-1.21 percent), manufacturing losing 7,508 workers (-6.83 percent) and information services losing 3,109 workers (-7.89 percent).
Statewide, the Maryland workforce is projected to increase by 2.17 percent, or 59,515 workers, from 2,744,098 in 2012 to 2,803,613 in 2014.
Per the Maryland DLLR's Division of Workforce and Labor Development, the two-year projected employment change is important because "occupations with large employment that are projected to grow slowly may create more jobs than occupations with small employment that are projected to grow rapidly."
Keisha Oduor is a professional writer and entrepreneur who resides in Baltimore, Maryland. She has a degree in Communications and French from New York University with work experience in publishing, nonprofits, healthcare administration and program management. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.
