Eye on the Economy: A Look at Maryland and the Regional Economy

On October 1, 2025, the Federal Government announced a shutdown. As a result, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has not released a new jobs report or unemployment figures for September, and no additional data will be published or rescheduled until normal government operations resume. In the meantime, here’s a recap of August’s figures and an overview of how the shutdown is currently affecting Maryland.

August Recap:

• The most recent jobs report showed that between July 2025 and August 2025, Maryland lost 3,200 Total Nonfarm jobs.
• The official unemployment rate for Maryland increased to 3.6 percent.

30^th Annual Economic Outlook Forum:
Increasing Maryland's Business Competitiveness

Thursday, November 6, 8:15–11 a.m.
TU University Union

Join us for the 30th anniversary of the Economic Outlook Forum. Not only will you hear the state's economic forecast from RESI Chief Economist Daraius Irani, you'll receive a commemorative coin and be entered to win a drawing for a no-cost impact study valued up to $7,500.

The forecast will be followed by a panel discussion on increasing Maryland's business competitiveness, featuring:

• Mary Kane, president and CEO, Maryland Chamber of Commerce
• Brooke Lierman, comptroller, State of Maryland
• Nico Sanders, president and CEO, Community Housing Associates
• Jay Steinmetz, founder, Barcoding; CEO, Power Up Connect
• Moderator: Jeff Salkin, news anchor, Maryland Public Television

Government shutdown could affect Maryland's job market as federal workers face potential layoffs
WBAL-TV, October 4, 2025

Many of the federal workers in Maryland fired earlier this year are still struggling to find jobs, in part because of all the talented workers looking for employment in the same fields within the state. If the Trump administration follows through on the threat to fire additional workers during the government shutdown, this problem is likely to become even worse as additional job-seekers saturate the labor market in Maryland. RESI Chief Economist Daraius Irani notes that this could result in people leaving the region to seek work elsewhere, where there are more available jobs and/or less competition for those positions.