But it's no less potent. Knowledge workers are researchers inventing cancer drugs, accountants uncovering fraud and ER staff saving lives.
Since 2000, the metro area has added 4,000 jobs in scientific research and development, 7,500 jobs in computer-systems design and 11,000 jobs in hospitals. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks accelerated the shift, bulking up defense contractor employment. And the military's restructuring is expected to bring about 14,000 jobs to the area's two large Army bases.
"It's a brain economy, not a brawn," said Walt Plosila, who helped launch what is now the Tech Council of Maryland.
The most tangible signs of this transformation are the new bioparks on the east and west sides of Baltimore. Three buildings, outfitted with lab and office space, have opened at a cost of $164 million, and 12 more are planned. The recent credit crunch hasn't affected those plans, officials said - at least not yet. A Massachusetts biotech firm signed a lease this month for 14,000 square feet in the west side biopark.
When work finishes in a dozen years, the parks will have 2.9 million square feet of space combined - the equivalent of 5 1/2 Legg Mason towers - along with an expected 6,000 jobs.
Alba Therapeutics, which is working on a treatment for celiac disease, is among the firms at the UMB biopark. The four-year-old company has 45 employees, many from out of state.
Alba's executive medical director is Leon, who received his Ph.D. and M.D. in Spain and worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb in New Jersey before coming to Baltimore. He switched jobs for the excitement of working at a startup like Alba and for the proximity to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.
Leon, 37, said attracting biotech workers to the area is tough: They worry that if their company fails, there aren't enough alternatives to jump to. But that's changing, he said. And he loves being here.
"It's a rough city, but it's alive, it's moving," said Leon, who lives in Federal Hill.
When companies are small, like Alba, they mostly employ people with advanced degrees. As they grow, they will need employees with specialized training that doesn't necessarily include college. At hospitals, the need for such workers is already constant - a way into the knowledge economy for some residents.
