Employers in Maryland and other states face unprecedented challenges to fill open jobs, according to a report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The report breaks down states’ worker shortages into four categories — least severe, severe, more severe and most severe — and crunched data on job openings, unemployment rates, labor force participation rates, quit rates and hire rates. Maryland falls into the most severe category with a worker shortage index of 0.33, meaning that there are 33 available workers for every 100 open positions.
Business impact: Maryland is currently surrounded by states with a higher labor force participation rate. Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Jersey each have participation rates above 62.8 percent. Maryland’s sub-62.8 percent performance is not conducive to longstanding economic growth.
