Maryland's unemployment rate continued its rise last month as the national economy worsened.
The rate jumped to 4.5 percent in August from 4.3 percent, the federal government said yesterday. More than 135,000 Marylanders are looking for work but can't find it, a 30 percent increase since the beginning of the year.
That comes even as local employers are adding to their payrolls. The state had 1,800 more jobs last month than it did in July, according to the Labor Department. The gain came from the private sector rather than government agencies.
A number of industries are retrenching as the housing slump continues and credit crunch worsens. But the turmoil on Wall Street - which this week forced Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group to sell itself - hasn't prevented all local sectors from growing.
"We are absolutely booming with activity in health care. Biotech is huge," said Steve Braun, chief executive of MRI Sales Consultants of Baltimore City, which helps companies find sales and marketing staff. "The good news is, we are able to find pockets of business that are really moving on, full speed ahead."
Nearly nine in 10 states saw their unemployment rates rise in August, the Labor Department said. Most, like Maryland, also gained jobs rather than lost them.
Unemployment rates can worsen even as jobs increase if - for instance - employers aren't creating positions fast enough to keep up with the number of people looking for work. The figures come from separate surveys: one of residents, one of employers.
Overall, Maryland's jobs picture looks healthier than the nation's. The U.S. unemployment rate hit 6.1 percent last month, and employers have cut more than 600,000 jobs since the beginning of the year.
Labor Department numbers are adjusted to try to account for seasonal variations in hiring and layoffs. They're also preliminary and could be revised later.
