unemployment and layoffs

Jobs are coming back, but pay isn't, writes Robert Reich.

As he was sworn into office Tuesday, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh warned that budget cuts would impair the ability of state lawyers to do their jobs and predicted the agency would lose lawyers next year.

Economist Anirban Basu seems like he's everywhere, his advice shaping local governments, big companies, educational institutions and now, as a member of Gov.-elect Republican Larry Hogan's transition team, the state's future.

Midway through the government budgeting year, Baltimore-area local governments are tightening their belts as revenues fall short of projections.

As they prepare to meet Friday, Gov.-elect Larry Hogan and Attorney General-elect Brian E. Frosh both say they want to turn the page and work together. But the two men could find themselves at odds — especially about environmental issues.

On his last full day in the office where he spent much of his long public service career, Harford County Executive David Craig sounded content with his legacy and quietly modest about his achievements.

The unemployment rate in Maryland fell to 6 percent in October, even as job creation remained sluggish.

In the aftermath of Republican Larry Hogan's victory in the governor's race on an anti-tax message, fiscally conservative politicians from both parties are pressing to cut taxes and fees.

This is neither the time nor place to ban plastic shopping bags in Baltimore, a city with bigger problems than litter

Compounding the problem of finding shelter, the jobless rate among veterans remains higher than for the general population.

Democrats run the economy better

Thursday column contextualizing Hogan's assertions about Maryland economy

The state added fewer than 3,000 jobs in September, enough to make a slight dent in the unemployment rate, according to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Energy production has emerged as arguably the primary growth engine for America's economy, but Maryland has barely participated.

Even with high local unemployment rates in Baltimore and signals from port officials that growth in cargo is likely in coming years, barriers to new truck drivers entering the field have hobbled the industry's efforts to rebuild since the recession, which thinned trucker ranks as cargo volumes diminished, Huesman, Gaumer and others in the industry say.

More than five years into the economic recovery, many households in Maryland still aren't feeling the lift. Overall personal income — which includes wages, investment income and payments from programs such as Social Security — grew an estimated 1 percent in the second quarter of 2014 in Maryland, compared to 2.5 percent in the U.S. as a whole.

Despite another seemingly good jobs report, President Obama's approval rating is lower than a snake's belly, and Republicans could retake the Senate in November.

In deep blue Maryland, it's the white Republican running for governor who has a direct message for black voters. Larry Hogan argues his job-creating economic policies are just what's needed to address the community's high jobless rate. Democrat Anthony Brown studiously avoids talking about minority voters, saying his policies are designed to make life better for everyone.

Expect Friday's jobs numbers to tell a flattering story for Democrats anxious to hold onto the Senate

Kmart plans to close its Wabash Avenue store at the end of November, laying off more than 100 employees as the company trims operations around the country, according to notice submitted to the state last week.

Significantly expanding the AmeriCorps program, which rewards volunteers with a modest living allowance and an education award, could lead to a cost-effective way to combat the ills of poverty while encouraging higher education for our young people.

Maryland received a roughly $400,000 bonus Monday for its crackdown on businesses that misclassify workers, part of more than $2 million the state won in federal grants.

Through the Bush and Obama years, Washington has failed to address fundamental structural problems that constrain U.S. international competitiveness and slow growth.

Maryland's implementation of the Food Supplement Program could be much more effective and help many vulnerable Marylanders avoid going hungry.

For Jeanne Keen of Dundalk, life amid the long-term unemployed means job applications, financial struggles and the occasional small triumph.

We live in a nation in which if you're black, you likely earn less, have less wealth and are less likely to hold a job that someone who is white. This Labor Day, let's take a moment to reflect on the dangers of trying to make a living while black in the United States.

In recent weeks, Southwest Airlines — the largest carrier at Baltimore's "easy come, easy go"-branded airport — has run into major peak-hour congestion problems, with summer vacationers tripping over business travelers in ticketing and security lines.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration has agreed to no longer require certain job candidates to take medical exams and answer disability-related questions, following a complaint released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation has perfected the glass-half-full view of the economy in its releases about state job growth.

Maryland's unemployment rate shot up in July when employers cut 9,000 jobs — one of the largest losses in the country, the federal government said Monday.

Carroll County helps to find and keep new jobs

The Labor Department is expected to report this week that the economy added 235,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate remained steady at 6.1 percent. But that hardly tells the story.