Labor Force

County labor force down By JULIE E. GREENE / Staff Writer Washington County's unemployment rate fell from October to November, but so did the number of people employed, according to estimates released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The county's jobless rate fell from 3.6 in October to 2.9 percent in November, according to preliminary numbers. The unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in November 1999. The labor department's official statement says "expansion in the labor force exaggerated employment declines" in Western Maryland, but Washington County's labor force actually got smaller.

The first unemployment report for Washington County in 2013 shows the jobless rate rose from 8.9 percent in December to 9.4 percent in January as the labor force added more than 2,800 people, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The number of people in the labor force - the combination of people working and seeking employment - rose from 69,060 in December to 71,893, the nonseasonally-adjusted report said. The number of people working was up from 62,907 in December to 65,155 in January, an increase of 2,248, the report said.

The unemployment rates in both Franklin and Fulton counties experienced sharp increases in December primarily due to larger labor forces, a labor expert said Monday. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Franklin County increased seven-tenths of a percentage point to 7.1 percent in December, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. In Fulton County, the seasonally adjusted rate increased from 8.6 percent to 10 percent for December.

julieg@herald-mail.com Washington County's unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 percent in March, according to preliminary estimates from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The decrease from February's 5.1 percent unemployment rate was due largely to the number of people leaving the labor force because they were unemployed and no longer looking for work, said Bill Kelly, job service supervisor for the Labor Department's Hagerstown office. For the purpose of government accounting, the civilian labor force is defined as including people who are employed and people who are unemployed but actively searching for work.

julieg@herald-mail.com Washington County's unemployment rate decreased from 4.4 percent to 3.7 percent in August as people left summer jobs, according to preliminary estimates released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Students left summer jobs to go back to school in August or to go on vacation before school resumed, said Shanon Wolf, job service director for the Hagerstown office of the Labor Department. Because they are going back to school, students often are not looking for work in Washington County so they have left the local civilian labor force, Wolf said.

The April unemployment rate for Washington County was the lowest it has been since December 2008, according to preliminary state figures released Thursday that show both an increase in employment and a drop in the number of people seeking work. The jobless rate fell from 8.6 percent in March to 8 percent in April as the economy added 307 jobs to 63,104, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation report said. The 8.6 percent rate for March had been revised upward from the 8.2 percent rate the state initially reported in late April.

julieg@herald-mail.com Washington County's unemployment rate decreased to 4.4 percent in July due largely to the number of people who left the labor force, the local job service director said Friday. The two main reasons people left the labor force in July were some local plants shut down for a week and people who still hadn't found a summer job gave up, said Shanon Wolf, job service director for the Hagerstown office of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

The number of people unemployed in Washington County remained static from July to August, but a dip in the labor force and the number of people employed led to a slight increase in the jobless rate, according to preliminary figures released recently by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The rate went from 9.7 percent in July to 9.8 percent in August, with the number of unemployed rising by just three to 6,465, the report said. However, the labor force - the combination of people employed and those actively seeking work - dropped by 388 to 66,057, while the number of employed fell by 391 to 59,592, the report said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Washington County's jobless rate for March was 11.1 percent, a decrease from February's adjusted rate of 11.9 percent, according to figures released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. In Washington County, 7,509 members of the labor force were without jobs in March, the state website says. The labor force consisted of 67,532 people. Tim Troxell, executive director of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission, said he believed the drop in the unemployment rate could be attributed to the warmer weather.

The first unemployment report for Washington County in 2013 shows the jobless rate rose from 8.9 percent in December to 9.4 percent in January as the labor force added more than 2,800 people, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The number of people in the labor force - the combination of people working and seeking employment - rose from 69,060 in December to 71,893, the nonseasonally-adjusted report said. The number of people working was up from 62,907 in December to 65,155 in January, an increase of 2,248, the report said.

The unemployment rates in both Franklin and Fulton counties experienced sharp increases in December primarily due to larger labor forces, a labor expert said Monday. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for Franklin County increased seven-tenths of a percentage point to 7.1 percent in December, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. In Fulton County, the seasonally adjusted rate increased from 8.6 percent to 10 percent for December.

The unemployment rate fell in Washington County from 8.8 percent in June to 8.5 percent in July as both the number of people employed and unemployed decreased, according to preliminary figures released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The June number had been revised upward from the 8.7 percent jobless rate in the preliminary report for that month. The newest report showed the number of people working fell from 63,562 to 63,317. It also showed a drop of 197 in the number of unemployed to 5,916.

The April unemployment rate for Washington County was the lowest it has been since December 2008, according to preliminary state figures released Thursday that show both an increase in employment and a drop in the number of people seeking work. The jobless rate fell from 8.6 percent in March to 8 percent in April as the economy added 307 jobs to 63,104, the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation report said. The 8.6 percent rate for March had been revised upward from the 8.2 percent rate the state initially reported in late April.

September was another relatively static month for unemployment in Washington County as the jobless rate dropped from 9.7 percent to 9.6 percent, although the number of people working jumped by more than 600, according to new state figures. The number of people listed as jobless dropped for the third month in a row, falling by 21 to 6,369, a preliminary report released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said. The trend has been downward for most of 2011, which began with 7,216 people counted as jobless in January.

The number of people unemployed in Washington County remained static from July to August, but a dip in the labor force and the number of people employed led to a slight increase in the jobless rate, according to preliminary figures released recently by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The rate went from 9.7 percent in July to 9.8 percent in August, with the number of unemployed rising by just three to 6,465, the report said. However, the labor force - the combination of people employed and those actively seeking work - dropped by 388 to 66,057, while the number of employed fell by 391 to 59,592, the report said.

Often a time for extra hiring in the retail and wholesale sectors, the holidays last year failed to bring the gift of more jobs to Washington County, according to new state figures released Friday. In fact, the unemployment rate for the county actually rose from 9.8 percent in November to 10.1 percent in December, preliminary figures from the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation show. But the increase was not unusual for the area, said Tim Troxell, executive director of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission.

HAGERSTOWN -- Washington County's jobless rate for March was 11.1 percent, a decrease from February's adjusted rate of 11.9 percent, according to figures released Friday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. In Washington County, 7,509 members of the labor force were without jobs in March, the state website says. The labor force consisted of 67,532 people. Tim Troxell, executive director of the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission, said he believed the drop in the unemployment rate could be attributed to the warmer weather.

An additional 65 workers were added to Washington County's unemployment rolls in August, bringing the county's unemployment rate to 4.3 percent, as statewide Maryland's unemployment rate fell to the same level, according to data released Thursday by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. On par with where it stood in August 2004, Washington County's unemployment rate climbed from 4.2 percent in July to 4.3 percent last month, as 124 workers were added to the labor force and the county's number of employed workers fell 189 to 65,892.