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Employment

In order for individuals to become productive members of their communities, they require access to jobs, education, and training, as well as incomes and benefits that allow them to provide for their basic needs and the needs of their families. Wages and benefits must be sufficient to enable workers to afford adequate housing, food, clothing, healthcare, childcare, and other essentials. More than 100,000 working families in Maryland are struggling to provide for these basic needs. Over 384,000 Marylanders earned less than a poverty-level wage of $8.61 an hour in 2002.

Although statewide the official unemployment rate (4.3 % in August 2005) is below the national average (5.1% in September 2005), several jurisdictions in Maryland have large pockets of chronic joblessness, underemployment, and poverty. As of August 2005, an average of 127,627 Maryland adults were officially unemployed. In many rural and urban areas of the state, the unemployment rate is far higher than the statewide average. Additionally, when “discouraged” and “involuntary part-time” workers are added to the official tallies, the total number of jobless men and women is much higher than formally unemployed persons.

Current Services

Public and private sector job search and job placement services exist for jobseekers, as well as hiring services for employers. Public services are listed on the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) website by county: www.dllr.state.md.us/county

Services such as technology and other skills training and apprenticeship programs for adults and youth are listed on DLLR’s website: www.dllr.state.md.us/county

Public grant programs for skills upgrade of incumbent workers are available through:

•       The Department of Business and Economic Development: www.choosemaryland.org/business/workforce/index.asp

•       The Maryland Job Service One-Stop Career Centers: www.dllr.state.md.us/county

•       Maryland Business Works: www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/mbw.htm.

A list of links to public and private organizations that provide employment services to low-income workers and job seekers in Maryland can be found at: www.jotf.org/resources/links.htm.

Gaps and Challenges

Maryland is missing important opportunities to help workers who want to improve their skills. Key programs designed to help low-income workers do not focus enough on training. Three quarters of job seekers who accessed workforce assistance in Maryland received no training. Those who received training services that enhance workers’ skills represented less than 1% of all working-age adults without a high school diploma or GED, and only 6.5% of the state’s unemployed workers.

In many areas of the state, the majority of job openings are for low-wage, low-skill jobs. Of the seven occupations with the highest number of annual openings, five pay average hourly wages between $6.50 and $9.00 ($13,000 to $18,000 annual wages for full-time work). These five occupations are cashiers, waiters and waitresses, combination food prep and service workers, janitors and cleaners, and food prep workers. Many offer only part-time work. These jobs are less likely than higher-skilled positions to offer health care benefits.

In the five occupations listed above, on-the-job advancement opportunities are very limited. The typically low education and skill level of many of the workers employed in these occupations results in workers remaining in low-skill and low-wage jobs for many years.

Areas of high unemployment span the state from east to west. They include Somerset, Dorchester, Worcester, Caroline, Garrett, and Allegany counties and
Baltimore City.

For example:
In May 2005 Baltimore City had an unemployment rate of 7.0%, Somerset County of 6.4%, and Allegany County of 6.2%, compared to the overall State unemployment rate of 4.1% for the same period.

In addition to the need for more decent paying jobs, many jurisdictions experience employment-related problems such as:

•       Insufficient transportation,

•       Lack of affordable child care,

•       Lack of affordable housing, and

•       Rampant substance abuse.

Job seekers face barriers to employment such as criminal records, child support arrearages that deter pursuit of mainstream employment, and racial discrimination, especially toward African-American males. Low high school graduation rates and low literacy levels also create obstacles to finding employment. Baltimore has the highest concentration of unemployment and poverty in the state.

 

Throughout Maryland, shortages of qualified workers in certain industries limit the ability of these industries to expand. The Governor’s Workforce Investment Board has identified five occupational sectors where current skill shortages are projected to increase: nursing, teaching, technology, construction, and tourism. These high-demand occupations require specific skills training.

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