Maryland loses thousands of jobs | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

May's 3.8 percent unemployment rate in Maryland lunged to 4.3 percent last month, according to a report released yesterday by the state's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

Employers in the state cut 14,000 jobs in May, with 1,500 of those cut in Anne Arundel County.

With seasonal adjustments to those figures, Bo Szczepaniak, program manager for DLLR's Office of Workforce Information and Performance, said the 15,000 additional jobless residents in the state include recent high school and college graduates.

Stephen Harrison, the labor exchange administrator for Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp., predicts more county residents will join the ranks of the unemployed.

"The past labor market trends show an increase in the unemployment rate in June, caused primarily by college graduates and (high school) graduates looking for work," he said.

The nation lost 62,000 jobs in June, the sixth consecutive month of losses. The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent while Maryland stood at 3.8 percent.

But the latest statistics show the number is climbing, and Anne Arundel County is not immune to the trend. In May, the county's unemployment rate jumped from 2.9 to 3.4 percent.

Just as in the rest of the nation, Anne Arundel County is seeing employers cut back their workers in construction, manufacturing and banking fields.

"There are worse places to be as far as unemployment goes," said Mr. Harrison, "but the further north you go in the county, the higher the unemployment rate."

Mr. Harrison said many of the job cuts have been small in number, making them hard to track. His agency's Glen Burnie office has been busier than the one in Annapolis, however.

Some layoffs have already been noted. American Airlines, for example, plans to let 25 people go at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport later this year.

Mr. Harrison said manufacturing in is often subject to contractions tied to the economy.

The sluggish economy is also taking its toll on jobs the state's labor department has cited as strong industries that keep Maryland's workforce in better standing than other states: federal and state government jobs.

Michelle Stallinop, 41, a mother of two who lives in Annapolis, used to work for the state as a director of emergency operations but was laid off a few months ago. She then took a position working in a dentist office, but recently lost that job, too.

She's in the process of losing her home to foreclosure, owes back bills to Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and has sought welfare, an experience that has humbled her, she said. Whereas once she was offering others aid through her job with the state, now she's finding herself on the receiving end.

"I'm just getting the crud kicked out of me lately," Ms. Stallinop said.

With the rise in gas prices, she's walking more than she ever has, and with steep energy bills, she's resorting to fans instead of air conditioning.

Julie Pfeifer, the Annapolis branch manager of Manpower, Inc., an employment services agency, said she's noticing a different approach to hiring from company clients.

"It's interesting because on a national level, they're talking about people losing jobs, but actually, what we've been seeing is permanent placement opportunities increase and a drop in temporary work," said Ms. Pfeifer. "Companies are still looking to hire, they're just taking a little longer to make decisions. Economics take precedence, and they want to be more careful about how they're spending funds. Everyone's just being a lot more cautious."

Andy Moser, assistant state secretary of labor, licensing and regulation, urges Anne Arundel County residents to keep things in perspective. He said any unemployment rate less than 5 percent is considered "full employment," and the area has many positive attributes insolating it from the worst of the economic slowdown.

"Businesses are attracted to the county and the I-95 corridor, Baltimore Washington International Airport, and the port of Baltimore is within throwing distance, which makes it cost-effective to locate there," he said.

But to others like Ms. Stallinop, the market continues to look pretty bleak.

"At this point, a lot of us are just one paycheck away from needing help from social services," Ms. Stallinop said.