Maryland loses 6,200 jobs in June
Maryland employers shed 6,200 jobs in June — one of the largest monthly declines in the country, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The losses came after two months of significant gains. The state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said the new estimates showed "a smoothing out of recent hiring," alluding to the statistical distortions that can appear in monthtomonth data. Since June of last year, the state has added roughly 38,900 jobs, growth of roughly 1.5 percent. Maryland was one of 17 states to sustain payroll cuts last month, when employers nationwide added 223,000 jobs and the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 5.3 percent, the lowest in seven years. Despite June's job losses and an increase in the labor force, Maryland's unemployment rate dipped to 5.2 percent, down a tenth of a percentage point. The cuts last month appeared in nearly all sectors in Maryland, with the heaviest losses in education/health services and government, which shed 3,800 and 3,000 jobs respectively. The new report also reduced May's estimated job gains from 13,500 to 12,200. The trade, transportation and utilities sector added 3,800 jobs, manufacturing added 400 and leisure and hospitality added about 100.
nsherman@baltsun.com