MD loses 5.5K jobs in February as Moore seeks to grow economy

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The Maryland Department of Labor reported Thursday that nonfarm employment in the state fell by an estimated 5,500 jobs in February as Gov. Wes Moore had his eyes trained on a legislative agenda centered on growth and affordability.

“As you know, when we came on board, it was focusing on three things,” Moore, a Democrat, said during an interview with The Daily Record this month. “It’s work, wealth and wages.”

The hardest-hit sectors during February’s employment dip include construction, which lost 4,100 jobs; transportation, warehousing and utilities which saw 2,000 cuts; accommodation and food services, which lost 800 positions; and wholesale trade, which is down 400 jobs.

According to a news release from the Maryland Department of Labor, the estimated job loss was calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which adjusts state employment rates monthly to estimate typical seasonal patterns in jobs. The state agency said that although these losses have occurred in January in other years, they were seen in February — consistent with national trends. 

During both January and February, Maryland added an estimated 3,300 jobs as private-sector employment grew by 5,500 and the public sector fell by 2,200, which the state Department of Labor largely attributed to the continued loss of federal government jobs.

Moore said Maryland has lost 31,000 jobs in the federal government under President Donald Trump‘s administration.

“If you include federally adjacent workers, it’s over 40,000 people,” the governor said.

Still, despite the public sector losses, Maryland’s private-sector employment grew by 0.24% in January and February, where national growth shows only 0.04%. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that Maryland’s February unemployment rate, 4.3%, is slightly lower than the national 4.4%.

Although the dip did occur, the Moore administration has invested energy in job and economic growth. 

During his 2026 State of the State address delivered in February, Moore said that since he took office in 2023, his administration has generated 100,000 jobs and seen 35,000 new businesses open.

According to the 2025 Consolidated Incentives Performance Report released in January, finance and tax incentive programs through the Maryland Department of Commerce alone, aided in the creation of approximately 24,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs during the 2025 fiscal year.

Moore’s 2026 legislative package focused on continuing the trend, including the multifaceted Delivering Economic Competitiveness and Advancing Development Efforts, or DECADE, Act, which, among many measures, would extend the Build Our Future Grant Pilot Program to June 2030 to grow the tech sector. It also seeks to make property tax credits for businesses participating in the RISE Zone program, which incentivizes institutions and local governments to create jobs in and attract businesses to certain areas, more accessible.

The DECADE Act is expected to be signed by Moore, Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, both Democrats, in the coming weeks.