As of September 2017, at 3.7 percent, Baltimore County boasts the lowest unemployment rate in nine years and continues a positive job trend in Maryland’s third-largest jurisdiction.

Substantial employment growth has been driven by job creation in new business developments throughout the County, including Tradepoint Atlantic, downtown Towson, Foundry Row in Owings Mills and expansions of the County’s major health care facilities. 

A Diversified Economy

Since 2010, Baltimore County’s unemployment rate has been cut by more than half, dropping from 8.3 to 3.7 percent. Overall, this means more job opportunities for County residents across a number of industries. Also since 2010, Baltimore County has been home to nearly 14,000 net new jobs with Professional and Business Services, Education and Health Services, Financial Services and Construction leading the industry pack.

2010-2016 Employment Change by Industry

2010-2016 Employment Change by Industry | Source: Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

Despite losses in Trade, Transportation and Utilities and Manufacturing, Baltimore County is on the right path to bolster these industries, most notably at Tradepoint Atlantic.

The (Trade)Point Is Jobs

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz at FedEx
groundbreaking at Tradepoint Atlantic.

In November 2017, Amazon announced 1,500 full-time jobs to a new 855,000-square-foot fulfillment center at Tradepoint Atlantic—a 3,100-acre development in eastern Baltimore County. Employees will pick, pack and ship customer items such as electronics, books, housewares and toys. Amazon joins Under Armour, FedEx Ground, Pasha Automotive, Access World, Harley Davidson and others as tenants of Tradepoint Atlantic, one of the largest economic development projects on the East Coast. When fully developed, Tradepoint Atlantic will generate 17,000 permanent jobs in the Baltimore region, plus another 21,000 jobs during construction. Economic impact is projected to top $3 billion by 2025,
according to a Sage Policy Group study.

Ace in the Hole

How is Baltimore County’s workforce system preparing workers to fill all of these new jobs? One successful example is the Accelerating Connections to Employment (ACE) program—a U.S. Department of Labor-funded pilot initiative that partnered community colleges with Workforce Investment Boards to improve the employment and career outcomes of low-skilled individuals.

ACE was implemented across nine sites in four states—including in Baltimore County.

The results of the program indicate that the training had a significant positive impact on employment rates after the training program ended.

• A year after training, 63 percent of the ACE participants were employed.
• ACE participants in Maryland earned on average approximately $1,300 more than comparable non-ACE participants in the one year after ACE training ended and over $5,000 more in the two years following training.
• While not definitive, early data indicate positive job retention rates for ACE participants in the 24 months post-participation in ACE.

Read the full ACE findings report here.

Help with Finding a Job

Interested in a career move or jumping back into the workforce? Has it been a few too many years since you’ve revised your resume and interviewed for a job? Not sure where to begin?

Baltimore County provides guided employment and support resources to help you achieve your own employment goals. Eligible job seekers can:

• Meet with professional consultants to explore career paths
• Get referrals to training programs, job fairs and comprehensive online job boards
• Join workshops to enhance job seeking skills and work readiness

Take your job search to a convenient American Job Center where you can use computers and printers with online access, individual work spaces with telephones, and a variety of job search resource materials to speed your success.

Every month, Baltimore County’s American Job Centers in Hunt Valley, Liberty Center and Eastpoint offer free boot camp-style workshops for eligible job seekers.

Related Topics

Learn more about Baltimore County’s Leading Employers

Baltimore County is Maryland’s second-largest jurisdiction in terms of jobs and is home to more than 21,000 employer establishments.

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New and Expanding Businesses

View a list that highlights a selection of business and real estate activity in Baltimore County from January 2016 to August 2017.

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