Economic And Employment

Suzanne Lanks and Robert J. Whitney, students at Anne Arundel Community College, recently received honorable mention in the "Marylanders at Work" Community College Photography Contest.The contest was for students at the state's 17 community colleges. Works will be displayed at the Department of Economic and Employment in Baltimore.

Maryland's economy gained some speed in the second half of 1994 and the momentum could carry through the first half of 1995, the state's top economic development official said yesterday."

Maryland's unemployment rate halted a two-month trend and fell in July as employment growth outpaced a summertime increase in the size of the labor force.In Maryland, where jobless data are released a month later than nationally, the jobless rate fell to 6.5 percent from 6.9 percent in June.The state said 66,727 people found jobs while 60,508 people entered the labor force, defined as people working or looking for work. As a result, unemployment declined by 6,219 people during the month, the state's Department of Economic and Employment Development reported.

The unemployment rate in Carroll County made its traditional June rise, but the small size of the increase -- from 3.9 percent to 4.1 percent -- is in fact a sign of the economy's strength, state officials said Friday.Employment in the county actually went up by about 750 jobs in June, from 63,941 to 64,693. But nearly 900 people entered the civilian labor force during the month, accounting for the slight rate increase.The civilian labor force figure represents the number of people who are employed plus the number who are actively looking for work.

Employment in Maryland rose for a fourth straight month in May, holding to a minimum the seasonal jump in unemployment as students and other summer workers entered the job market.An estimated 13,324 seasonal workers found work in May, out of nearly 17,700 who entered the labor force, pushing employment up to 2.51 million, a record for May, the state Department of Economic and Employment Development reported yesterday.At the same time, the seasonal job-seekers pushed unemployment up a tenth of a percentage point, to 5.3 percent, still well below the national rate, which fell from 6.2 percent to 5.9 percent in May.In the Baltimore area, the jobless rate rose to 6.4 percent in May, up from 6.1 percent in April, as the labor force grew more than employment.

Because of its diverse economy, Maryland fared better than other states during the recession and may lead the nation out of the doldrums, officials of the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development said today."

The number of Marylanders with jobs set another record monthly high in June, rising for the fifth consecutive month. The gain held the usual summer jump in the unemployment rate to just over half its normal size.Employment increased by about 35,600 people, the largest increase of any month this year and the biggest for June since 1989. It raised the number of Marylanders with jobs to a June record of 2,543,593, the state Department of Economic and Employment Development reported.But the usual surge of students, teachers and others seeking summer jobs increased the number of unemployed by 47,200, pushing the unemployment rate to 5.6 percent, compared with May's 5.3 percent.

Marsha Schachtel, who has been involved in economic development in Maryland for nearly 20 years, has been named executive assistant to the secretary of economic and employment development and charged with monitoring federal spending in the state.Mrs. Schachtel most recently worked as a contract researcher on a project examining Baltimore's finances under a grant funded by the Abell Foundation. She also worked on the state's recently announced economic development strategy, which advocates focusing on life sciences and information technologies industries.

Here was the problem in a nutshell: Baltimore's Micro Machining Inc. had job applicants but not enough different types of work to offer a four-year apprentice program.The solution: Get together with a few competitors, add some state and federal funding and share a pool of apprentices.Micro Machining, a $3 million precision-tool manufacturer with 43 employees, and 10 of its counterparts formed a corporation called MECHTECH, which came up with $20,000 in matching funds from the state Department of Economic and Employment Development and $100,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor.

It may sound like a lone voice in a wilderness of bad economic news, but state development officials announced yesterday that Maryland's jobless rate fell slightly in August.The main reason for the decline, to 4.4 percent from 4.5 percent in July, was the withdrawal from the job market of nearly 30,600 students and other summer workers, according to the state Department of Economic and Employment Development.A year earlier, the state's jobless rate was 3.6 percent. Compared with August 1989, unemployment was higher in every county in Maryland this year.

The number of Marylanders with jobs set another record monthly high in June, rising for the fifth consecutive month. The gain held the usual summer jump in the unemployment rate to just over half its normal size.Employment increased by about 35,600 people, the largest increase of any month this year and the biggest for June since 1989. It raised the number of Marylanders with jobs to a June record of 2,543,593, the state Department of Economic and Employment Development reported.But the usual surge of students, teachers and others seeking summer jobs increased the number of unemployed by 47,200, pushing the unemployment rate to 5.6 percent, compared with May's 5.3 percent.

Employment in Maryland rose for a fourth straight month in May, holding to a minimum the seasonal jump in unemployment as students and other summer workers entered the job market.An estimated 13,324 seasonal workers found work in May, out of nearly 17,700 who entered the labor force, pushing employment up to 2.51 million, a record for May, the state Department of Economic and Employment Development reported yesterday.At the same time, the seasonal job-seekers pushed unemployment up a tenth of a percentage point, to 5.3 percent, still well below the national rate, which fell from 6.2 percent to 5.9 percent in May.In the Baltimore area, the jobless rate rose to 6.4 percent in May, up from 6.1 percent in April, as the labor force grew more than employment.

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell slightly last week, marking the second consecutive decline.The Labor Department said yesterday that new claims forunemployment benefits dropped by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 332,000, the lowest level in four weeks. That followed a drop of 60,000 claims the week before -- the biggest one-week improvement in a year.But analysts cautioned against reading too much into the latest figures. The declines largely represent the aftermath of an increase of 43,000 claims two weeks earlier after General Motors Corp.

Maryland's unemployment rate crept up a notch in November, to 6.5 percent, from 6.4 percent in October, the state reported yesterday. But while the overall jobless rate increased, economists found reason to cheer thanks to some good news found in a survey of employers.Total employment, measured in a survey of Maryland households, fell by 3,725 people, to 2.43 million, in November, according to the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development. But almost 1,400 people left the labor force, so unemployment increased by just 2,327 people.

Maryland's unemployment rate halted a two-month trend and fell in July as employment growth outpaced a summertime increase in the size of the labor force.In Maryland, where jobless data are released a month later than nationally, the jobless rate fell to 6.5 percent from 6.9 percent in June.The state said 66,727 people found jobs while 60,508 people entered the labor force, defined as people working or looking for work. As a result, unemployment declined by 6,219 people during the month, the state's Department of Economic and Employment Development reported.

Despite signs that Maryland is emerging from the recession, the pink slips continue to pile up.Figures released yesterday show Maryland's jobless rate in January reached the highest level in nine years, growing to 7.3 percent from 6.7 percent in December.Area economists say they don't expect the situation to get mucbetter for at least several months.Even more significant than the percentage of the work force seeking employment was the number of jobs lost from December to January, they say. The number of employed people declined 25,974, to 2.34 million, in January.

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits fell slightly last week, marking the second consecutive decline.The Labor Department said yesterday that new claims forunemployment benefits dropped by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 332,000, the lowest level in four weeks. That followed a drop of 60,000 claims the week before -- the biggest one-week improvement in a year.But analysts cautioned against reading too much into the latest figures. The declines largely represent the aftermath of an increase of 43,000 claims two weeks earlier after General Motors Corp.

The unemployment rate in Carroll County made its traditional June rise, but the small size of the increase -- from 3.9 percent to 4.1 percent -- is in fact a sign of the economy's strength, state officials said Friday.Employment in the county actually went up by about 750 jobs in June, from 63,941 to 64,693. But nearly 900 people entered the civilian labor force during the month, accounting for the slight rate increase.The civilian labor force figure represents the number of people who are employed plus the number who are actively looking for work.

Because of its diverse economy, Maryland fared better than other states during the recession and may lead the nation out of the doldrums, officials of the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development said today."

Marsha Schachtel, who has been involved in economic development in Maryland for nearly 20 years, has been named executive assistant to the secretary of economic and employment development and charged with monitoring federal spending in the state.Mrs. Schachtel most recently worked as a contract researcher on a project examining Baltimore's finances under a grant funded by the Abell Foundation. She also worked on the state's recently announced economic development strategy, which advocates focusing on life sciences and information technologies industries.