Maryland added an estimated 5,400 jobs in November as the state economy gained steam going into the holidays, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.9 percent, below the national rate of 4.1 percent.
There were 60,700 more people working in Maryland in November than a year earlier, a gain of 2.2 percent.
About 70 percent of November’s new jobs were created in the private sector.
"Maryland's continued job growth, particularly in the private sector, shows that the work Governor Hogan and the entire administration is doing to attract businesses and help them expand is paying off," Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill said in a statement. "Over the past three years, we have worked with countless companies in every region of our state to understand their needs and provide them with the support they need to grow — and that level of commitment will continue into the future."
The state’s strong job growth came in several sectors, including professional and business services, which added 3,330 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities, which added 1,600 jobs; and financial activities, which also added 1,600 jobs. Strong subsectors included administrative, waste management, retail, transportation, warehousing, utilities, finance, insurance and real estate.
The government sector also added 1,600 jobs, and manufacturing added 1,100 jobs.
The construction sector saw the largest loss, dropping 1,900 jobs, followed by leisure and hospitality, which lost 1,400 jobs.
The BLS also revised its estimated job loss for October to 4,200. That’s 1,300 fewer jobs than initially estimated.