Maryland Adds 7,800 Jobs in April; Largest Increase Since January 2023

MARYLAND (WBFF) — Maryland added 7,800 total jobs in the month of April, according to the Department of Labor.

The new data reported by the Maryland Department of Labor reveals there was 4,800 jobs in private sector industries and big gains in expanding sectors such as Professional, Scientific and Technical services.

The monthly jobs data released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics today also showed that job growth in March was healthier than initially reported, with a revision to last month’s estimates that added 500 total jobs, officials said in a recent release.

April’s report is the first to fully incorporate jobs data after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which disrupted operations at the Port of Baltimore, impacting hundreds of businesses and an estimated 20,000 workers who support daily Port functions.

Most jobs at the Port lie in the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities sector, which had a decrease of 1,000 jobs in April.

In order to address employment impacts, federal, state, and local officials took swift, coordinated actions, officials say.

Unified Command worked to partially reopen the Port and has given a clear timeline for fully restored operations.

Additionally, the administration has directed federal and state economic aid to impacted businesses and workers through programs at the Department of Labor,

Department of Commerce, and Department of Housing and Community Development.

The administration continues to monitor high frequency economic data and to work closely with stakeholders to understand the full scope of the impact from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Maryland’s economy.

The Department of Labor’s Worker Retention Program, for example, has helped avert nearly 3,000 layoffs through grants to keep Port workers on the job, and the Department of Labor’s Worker Support program provides additional benefits to workers who have lost their job at the Port.

“Our goal has been to keep as many Port workers as possible attached to their jobs so that as regular operations resume, businesses are ready to go,” said Portia Wu, Maryland’s Secretary of Labor. “Through targeted assistance we have been able to keep thousands of Port workers on payroll and provide thousands of additional impacted workers with temporary economic support during this time.”

Maryland also saw an increase in its labor force participation rate, rising by 0.2% to 65.2%.

Although Maryland’s unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 2.5% to 2.6% in April, it remains the 5th lowest in the nation.

The uptick can largely be attributed to more Marylanders entering or re-entering the labor force looking for work.

The top five sectors adding jobs in April were Government (3,000 jobs), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (2,000 jobs), Accommodation and Food Services (1,700 jobs), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (1,500 jobs), and Health Care and Social Assistance (1,500 jobs).

The five sectors experiencing the largest declines last month were Construction (-1,400), Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities (-1,000 jobs); Finance and Insurance (-800 jobs), Wholesale Trade (-300 jobs), and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing (-200 jobs).

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