Maryland's unemployment rate dropped again in December, to 4.5 percent, its lowest since May 1990 and a decline of three-tenths of a point from November, the state Department of Economic and Employment Development said yesterday.
DEED officials said the drop was due to normal Christmas hiring by retail stores and other seasonal factors. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the November-December decline was from 4.9 to 4.7 percent.
It is "encouraging" that "manufacturing hours and wages continue to increase, and retail sales and new automobile
registrations continue to run well ahead of last year's levels," said James D. Fielder Jr., acting DEED secretary.