By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
According to data from Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) office, Maryland added nearly 2,300 jobs in October and November 2024.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor of Maryland
“Over the last two months, Maryland gained a net 2,300 jobs (6,700 jobs gained minus 4,400 jobs lost across the two months),” the Maryland Department of Labor told the AFRO. “Reviewed month by month, there was a net loss of 4,800 jobs in October 2024 and a net gain of 7,100 jobs in November 2024.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Maryland has had a 0.5 or less ratio of unemployed persons per job since February 2022. The unemployment rate for Maryland in November 2024 was 3.1, which was lower than the national rate of 4.2.
Hiring is also stronger in Maryland (3.8 percent hiring rate) than it is nationally (3.3 percent).
“The hire rate is a calculation of job hires over total employment,” said the Maryland Department of Labor. “Maryland’s hire rate is strong because our state is hiring at a higher percentage relative to employment over the U.S. as a whole – a positive sign of growth.”
Minority-owned businesses may have been among those contributing to the upward trend in hiring. Data from the Governor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women Business Affairs suggests that in Fiscal Year 2023, African-American MBEs (Minority Business Enterprises) were awarded $356.6 million in procurement opportunities with the state. Maryland currently has a goal to ensure that 29 percent of state procurement contracts go to certified MBEs.
Meanwhile, Maryland’s population grew by 46,158 in 2024, while internal outmigration declined. The state lost 18,509 people to net domestic migration in 2024, improving from a loss of 32,748 in 2023.
Moore, in an interview with the AFRO on Jan. 8, emphasized the importance of the work he is doing to help tackle the vacancy crisis in Baltimore, which would ideally make more housing available to the increasing number of Marylanders.
On Dec. 17, 2024, Moore announced a $50.8 million investment in the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative, which he established on Oct. 1, 2024.
“It’s one of the reasons why getting these vacants on board matters so much more,” said Moore. “If you are going to grow the population, which we are now doing, where are they going to live?”
Moore said that’s why the state is “moving with such urgency…to be able to house the kind of population growth that we’re hoping for, both in Baltimore and also throughout the state of Maryland.”
According to the Maryland State Archives, Baltimore City has been on a steady population decline. From the 1990 Census (736,014) to the 2020 Census (585,708), the city’s population has decreased by 150,306.
Credit: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Speaking on what’s causing the population increase, the Department of Labor said, “Maryland is a state where residents can thrive and is an attractive destination for new residents. Maryland has strong educational opportunities and substantially higher wages than the U.S. median.”
Maryland added 7,100 total nonfarm jobs in November (5,400 in the private sector and 1,700 in the public sector).
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