Labor Force

The essential point to grasp is that in dealing with capitalism we are dealing with an evolutionary process. --Joseph A. Schumpeter, ''Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy.'' Payroll employment in the United States has climbed by well over 1 million so far this year, and yet scarcely a day passes without a news report of vast layoffs at some company or other. We are barraged with reports of defense-industry layoffs, cutbacks at giant computer firms, staff reductions at major retailers; even layoffs at foreign firms like Daimler Benz now merit national news time.

Maryland employers added 1,500 jobs in March — thanks entirely to growth in the private sector — but the state's unemployment rate inched up as the pool of would-be workers expanded more rapidly. The jobless rate was 6.6 percent in March, up from 6.5 percent in February, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated Friday. That's because the labor force, the number of adults working or looking for work, grew by 4,200 people in March, according to the agency. An improving economic situation typically brings out more job seekers, as people who had been discouraged by earlier difficulties get back in the hunt.

Fewer people were actively looking for work between March and April, as Carroll County's unemployment rate dropped from 7 percent to 6 percent in April, Maryland Department of $l Economic and Employment Development officials said Friday.Many workers who were temporarily laid off during the survey period might not have filed for unemployment insurance, further lowering the rate, officials said. The number of people filing for unemployment insurance fell from 4,787 in March to 4,019 in April.

As the wire reports say, November's unemployment drop from 9.0 percent to 8.6 percent puts the jobless rate at its lowest point in more than two years. But there are still more than 13 million unemployed folks -- Americans who want to work, have looked for a job in recent weeks and haven't been hired. And that doesn't count the folks who have given up. If you want to work but you're not actively looking for a job, you're not counted as unemployed. Hundreds of thousands seem to have given up looking last month, which is what partly explains the drop in unemployment.

The news on Maryland's job front is good -- but not too good.Unemployment in Maryland fell 0.5 percent in December, but the dip to an impressive-sounding 4.5 percent rate came mostly because the state's labor force shrank by 31,000 workers, masking the loss of 16,000 jobs from November.An even 5.0 percent of Maryland's workers were out of work in November. "If unemployment fell, that's always good news," said Michael A. Conte, director of the University of Baltimore's Regional Economic Studies Program.

Maryland employers added 2,000 jobs in February, but unemployment inched upward as the labor force swelled, the Labor Department said yesterday. The jobless rate rose to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent in January, adjusted for the effect of seasonal variations. That remains well below the national unemployment rate of 5.4 percent. The strongest Maryland industries during the month of February were leisure and hospitality; professional and business services; and trade, transportation and utilities.

Maryland employers added nearly 5,000 jobs last month, helping nudge the unemployment rate down to 4.2 percent, the U.S. Labor Department said yesterday. The agency also reported that the state's labor force of 2.9 million soared by 20,500 people in May, an unusually large monthly increase that could signal growing faith in the economy - though local economists warned that the figure is based on preliminary data and will probably be revised downward. Labor force and unemployment numbers are culled from a separate survey than job creation numbers, which explains why they don't add up. But everything points to the same conclusion about the economy, experts said.

PITTSBURGH - Worn down by job searches that have stretched for months, demoralized by disappointing offers or outright rejections, some unemployed people have simply stopped the search. As the United States enters a third year of difficult economic times, these unemployed - from factory workers to investment bankers - have dropped out of the labor force and entered the invisible ranks of people not counted in the unemployment rate. Some are going back to school or getting new job training.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Howard Summers would have been a great guest on the old TV quiz show, "I've Got a Secret."Mr. Summers, a 57-year-old product development engineer who was the victim of a job reshuffle at the Silicon Valley Group, has carefully stripped his resume of anything that would reveal his age.College graduation and employment dates are gone. His cover letters don't mention that he has 35 years of experience. Instead, he says he's been working only 15 years.After attending self-esteem workshops, Mr. Summers now concentrates on positive thinking exercises as he drives to interviews.

The county's unemployment rate essentially remained stable in July, state figures released Friday show.The state Department of Economic and Employment Development reported that Carroll's jobless rate was 5.1 percent in July, compared to 5.2 percent in June.In July 1990, county unemployment was 4.0 percent.The national rate for August remained unchanged at 6.8 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday. (U.S. numbers are one month ahead of state numbers.)Only four fewer people were employed in July in the county than were in June, DEED said.

Maryland's unemployment rate improved in October as employers added 3,100 jobs, a bit of good news for residents to chew on heading into Thanksgiving and — retailers hope — holiday shopping. The state's jobless rate dropped to 7.2 percent from 7.4 percent in September, the U.S. Department of Labor said Tuesday. The job growth estimates suggest that 60 percent of the net gains came from the private sector in October, with most of the rest coming from state government agencies.

For some time, I have been reading about the problems created by the vast number of baby boomers reaching retirement age. This week, I became part of the problem. After almost 34 years writing for The Baltimore Sun, I am saying so long. I applied for a buyout - or voluntary separation plan - that the newspaper offered, and since acceptance was based on seniority and I have been around longer than the presses that print the paper, I was a shoo-in. As my last day approached, I prepared to leave the labor force by doing some research about the group I am joining: the retired.

The increase in jobs highlighted in the nation's most recent unemployment report carried the sound of economic promise, but Obama administration officials warned on Sunday that the public shouldn't expect any dramatic improvement in the jobless rate, largely because of the effect of thousands of "discouraged" unemployed people who have resumed their search for work. Some economists assert that the unemployment rate, which held steady at 9.7 percent in March, is likely to be driven higher as many more such people are lured into looking for work by hopeful signs of recovery.

Maryland's unemployment rate rose to 7.5 percent in January as job cuts continued unabated, the Labor Department said Wednesday. The jobless rate, which was 7.4 percent in December, hasn't been this high since the spring of 1983. Employers cut 2,500 jobs in January, the 18th straight month of losses. The government estimates, based off survey data, are adjusted to try to account for normal seasonal variations in hiring and layoffs. One glimmer of hope is that the number of Marylanders working or looking for work rose slightly in January, the first increase in months and a possible sign that more people think it's worth looking for a job now. When job seekers give up because they doubt they'll have any luck, they're no longer counted in the labor force -- a bad signal for an economy.

The number of employed Maryland residents has fallen so sharply that it's hit a low not seen in nearly a decade. Last month, 2.7 million adults in the state had jobs - about 135,000 fewer than the year before, according to newly released U.S. Labor Department estimates. Not since November 2001 have so few Marylanders been employed, and the decline happened even as the overall population grew. The economic downshifting has been rapid, overtaxing the state's unemployment benefits fund and making job seekers re-evaluate whether it's even worth looking.

The number of employed Maryland residents has fallen so sharply that it's hit a low not seen in nearly a decade. Last month, 2.7 million adults in the state had jobs - about 135,000 fewer than the year before, according to newly released U.S. Labor Department estimates. Not since November 2001 have so few Marylanders been employed, and the decline happened even as the overall population grew. The economic downshifting has been rapid, overtaxing the state's unemployment benefits fund and making job seekers re-evaluate whether it's even worth looking.

Carroll County's unemployment figures dropped from 4.6 percent in July to 3.9 percent in August, which was the second largest decrease in the Baltimore metropolitan region, state officials said Friday.Harford County had the biggest dip, dropping from 6.5 percent in July to 5.4 percent in August. The rest of the seven-county region remained relatively stable, either dropping one-tenth of a percent, remaining the same or rising one tenth.Statewide, the figure dropped from 5.2 percent in July to 5.1 percent in August, the lowest level of unemployment since September 1990, said Marco Merrick, spokesman for the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development.

Carroll County's unemployment rate remained stable at 3.9 percent from August to September, a period that state economic development officials said usually shows an increase in joblessness.Statewide, the unemployment rate rose slightly, from 5.1 percent in August to 5.2 percent in September, said Marco Merrick, spokesman for the state Department of Economic and Employment Development."Even though the unemployment rate went up, it's not a drastic increase," he said Friday. "This is the norm, and it's a good norm because it's not as significant as it could be."

The job-hunter commented that he's afraid to check his e-mail and telephone messages for fear of employer rejections, and the people said amen. "Any shred of self-efficacy or faith in myself has been completely shredded," one similarly unemployed person wrote. Another responded: "It's really awful, isn't it? But it really isn't your fault, don't worry!" In this toughest job market in a generation, misery is looking for company - and it's easier than ever to find it online, where groups are springing up for out-of-work people to connect, commiserate and offer hard-earned advice.

Losses in the job market are finally showing real signs of moderating. But as with most other economic data these days, Friday's employment report sent mixed messages, suggesting that while the economy may be bottoming out, recovery will likely be slow, fitful and frustrating. The Department of Labor reported that the U.S. economy lost 247,000 jobs in July while the unemployment rate dipped to 9.4 percent from 9.5 percent. That was the smallest monthly decline in jobs since last August and provided clear evidence that the longer-term pace of job erosion is slowing markedly.