Anne Arundel County Hits 10 Year Unemployment Peak

Anne Arundel County Maryland hit an unemployment rate of 7.6% in December, a high it has not seen in the past decade. The Maryland Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation has not reported a rate for the county above 7% for the last ten years.

Experts are quick to point out that an annual spike occurs during this period due to seasonal layoffs. Using raw data before being tweaked, unemployment would be at 8.3% for the entire state.

Kirkland Murray, president and chief executive officer of the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp. said “This week four companies called me saying, ‘We’re looking to hire. What do we need to do?'” Murray said Friday. “When you talk to businesses, you’re starting to see them putting their toes back in the water.”

Anne Arundel County is home to more than half a million residents, and the county seat is Annapolis, the State Capital.