Maryland Jobless Rate Falls to 6.6% in May
MarylandÛªs unemployment rate in May declined 0.6 percent as 35.524 persons found jobs, the state Employment Security Administration said yesterday.</br></br>The unemployment rate dropped from 7.2 percent in April to 6.6 percent in May for the fourth consecutive moiith of a decline, giving' a strong indication of a mending state economy, officials said.</br></br>The decrease was ÛÏreally quite dramaticÛ because it reflected growth in seasonal hiring and in business, social services and other services, said Employment Security Adminstration spokesman Luther Starnes.</br></br>The stateÛªs jobless rate has decreased 2.4 percent since it began its downward slope after January, when the unemployment rate was 9 percent.</br></br>May also marked the fifth month in a row that the rate has been lower than comparable periods last year, and the 16th consecutive month that it has been lower than the nationÛªs jobless rate.