National Rate

Maryland's unemployment rate barely changed in May, inching up to a seasonally adjusted 5.0 percent from 4.9 percent in April, but still a half-point less than the national rate of 5.5 percent, state officials said yesterday.Maryland ended 1994 with a seasonally adjusted jobless rate of 4.7 percent. Analysts expect little change in state unemployment until next year, when federal budget cuts could put more people out of work."For the balance of the year, I think it'll be just about where it is now," said Robert Sweet, chief economist for First National Bank of Maryland.

THE Annie E. Casey Foundation's sixth annual "Kids Count Data Book" is out, bringing more reasons for concern about American children -- as well as a couple of rays of good news.Nationally, the proportion of low birth-weight babies has increased by 5 percent since 1985. However, during the same period, the nation's infant mortality rate -- children who die before their first birthday -- declined by 20 percent, from 10.6 deaths per 1,000 live births to 8.5 in 1992. Maryland, which at 9.8 deaths per 1,000 live births ranks slightly worse than the national average in infant mortality, experienced an 18 percent decline between 1985 and 1992.

Maryland has retained its distinction as the state with the second-highest cancer death rate in the nation, trailing neighboring Delaware by a slim margin.The mid-Atlantic region's hold on cancer death is particularly striking when Washington is added to the picture. There, 230 out of every 100,000 inhabitants die of cancer each year, a rate exceeding that of any state.Maryland's other neighbors -- Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia -- also have cancer death rates among the top 10.Statistics comparing cancer deaths rates across the United States appear in Cancer Facts & Figures-1994, released yesterday by the National Cancer Society.

COLLEGE PARK -- In recent years, the early signing period for recruits was marked by frustration and disappointment for Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams.Yesterday, those who came by Williams' office offered congratulations rather than consolations. Yesterday, three of the area's, and country's, top recruits officially signed with the Terrapins.DeMatha point guard Duane Simpkins, DuVal forward Stacy Robinson and swingman Exree Hipp of Harker Prep became the foundation for the future, and Williams thinks their recent past will help once they come to Maryland next fall.

The broadcast networks have complained about A.C. Nielsen Co.'s national ratings system for several years. Now one of them is backing a potential competitor.CBS has signed on as one of the first clients of Scan America,C ratings service of Maryland-based Arbitron Co., which has for years been a serious competitor to Nielsen in measuring ratings for local television stations.Scan America differs from the Nielsen ratings service, the standard for setting advertising rates for national television, in that it measures product use as well as audiences.

The unemployment rate in Carroll remained nearly level in May, afterdropping almost 2 percent over the preceding two months, state figures show.The county's unemployment rate declined from 5.5 percent in April to 5.4 percent in May, the latest month for which figures are available, according to statistics released Friday by the state Department of Economic and Employment Development.Carroll's unemployment rate in May 1990 was 2.6 percent. It had climbed as high as 7.4 percent last February.

The county's unemployment rate reached its highest point in nearly five years in December, with almost 800 more people out of work than in November.The December jobless rate was 5.8 percent, just under the state and national levels for that month, the most recent for which figures are available. Carroll's jobless rate was at 2 percent forthe same period a year ago, state Department of Economic and Employment Development figures show."There's no doubt there's a recession going on," said Theodora Stephen, manager of the DEED office in Carroll.

Maryland's unemployment rate jumped by 0.7 percent to an estimated 6 percent in December, edging past the national rate of 5.9 percent, according to the Maryland Department of Economic and Employment Development.The number of Marylanders looking for work increased by 16,285 during the month of December to a total of 148,161 unemployed. Total employment dropped to 2.33 million from 2.5 million in November.Nationally, unemployment rose from 5.8 percent in November to 5.9 percent in December.

Maryland's jobless rate jumped to 5.3 percent in November, the highest level since the last recession, as nearly 18,000 more residents found themselves out of work compared with the month before.In Baltimore, 2,000 more people were reported unemployed than the month before, pushing the city's rate up to 8.2 percent from 7.5 percent in October and 5.8 percent a year earlier.For the metropolitan area, the November rate stood at 5.6 percent, up from 4.9 percent the month before.Although Maryland's jobless rate is lower than the national rate, the comparison is not nearly as favorable as in the past.

The word came in June from her employer, Human Development Institute of Baltimore: The company's largest contract, with the city of Baltimore, had been cut sharply. Two months later, on Aug. 10, Valerie Toney got the pink slip: Her $25,000-a-year job was over, and she became part of Maryland's rising unemployment rate.Ironically, Ms. Toney and a dozen or so of her laid off co-workers were training and finding jobs for city welfare recipients. But don't cry for Ms. Toney. The 24-year-old will start work on her MBA degree this fall at the University of Chicago's business school.