Initial claims for unemployment filed by Montgomery County residents continued to fall. During the week that ended Feb. 13, about 100 fewer residents filed initial claims that week than during the week that ended on Feb. 6.
Last week, 2,899 county residents filed initial claims. The prior week, 3,033 residents had filed initial claims, according to the Maryland Department of Labor (DOL). During the week, which ended on Jan. 30, 5,200 residents filed initial claims.
However, initial claims filed throughout the state rose by more than 6,000. During the week that ended Feb. 13, 28,927 Marylanders filed initial claims for unemployment. During the previous week, which ended Feb. 6, 22,428 state residents had filed initial claims. That is less than half the 50,418 Marylanders who filed during the week that ended Jan. 30.
Maryland gained 4,600 jobs and the unemployment rate dropped to 6.3% in January, which is the same as in December. This is the lowest unemployment rate in the state since the beginning of the pandemic, according to DOL.
The national unemployment rate was 6.3% in January, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
