Latest news with #MarylandDepartmentofLabor
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal layoffs drag down state employment gains for second month, new numbers show
Supporters cheer for federal workers who lost their jobs at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., in a photo from March 28, 2025. (Photo by Jess Daninhirsch/Capital News Service) Maryland added around 4,900 new jobs in April, but labor officials said those gains were dragged down by a loss of 2,600 jobs in the federal workforce in the same month. The Maryland Department of Labor reports that mass federal layoffs and other actions by the Trump administration are 'tempering the state's overall jobs growth,' according to new data released Wednesday. The federal impact was even sharper in March, when the state's 2,300 new jobs were eclipsed by the loss of 2,700 federal jobs for the month. 'April's report is the second to reflect actions taken by the new federal administration that impact federal employees and contractors, including reductions in force (RIFs), terminations of federal contracts, and grant cancellations,' according to a state Department of Labor press release Wednesday. And the March and April numbers may not even show the full scope of the problem in the state's federal workforce, the department said. 'The April jobs report does not reflect the most recent RIFs, employees who were placed on administrative leave or who accepted 'buyout' offers and are still being paid, federal employees who selected deferred retirement, or the ongoing tariff situation,' the department statement said. March was the first month that Trump layoffs began showing up in the state's data. 'Layoffs among federal workers and contractors are impacting every county in Maryland,' Labor Secretary Portia Wu said in written statement Wednesday. 'These workers have dedicated their careers to public service and they are an incredible asset to our state, so it's essential that we do everything that we can to support them.' The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Maryland's preliminary unemployment rate rose to 3.1% in April, up slightly from a flat 3% in March. The Maryland unemployment numbers come as the Trump administration continues its push to bring down federal spending by slashing the federal workforce, among other things. The result is hundreds of thousands of federal workers suddenly without jobs over the last few months – many of whom live in Maryland. About 269,000 Maryland residents are employed by the federal government, as of late March data. Maryland has the nation's second-largest share of residents who work for the government, trailing only Washington, D.C. And Maryland has another 225,000 federal contractors – reflecting about 10.5% of the state's total gross domestic product in 2023, according state data. As the Trump administration cuts down on federal spending, some state contractors are also in danger of being on the chopping block. Wu said in a recent interview that federal unemployment claims are at a 'significantly higher level than what we typically see' and noted that the state has not seen the full scope of impact due to layoffs and other moves in the Trump administration. She said getting a full scope of the impact on the state is also challenging: Some workers who live in Maryland may file unemployment documents with Washington, D.C., or nearby states, for example. Ongoing lawsuits challenging federal layoffs can also muddy the picture by temporarily ordering jobs restored. Maryland federal contractor layoffs increase as Trump slashes federal spending 'Many people don't file for unemployment right away,' Wu said. 'With all the litigation, maybe they haven't lost their job yet, or have taken some kind of administrative leave or delayed layoff or a separate situation.' According to May 10 data, the Maryland Labor Department had received more than 1,600 federal unemployment claims since the start of the Trump administration. Some of the federal workers who have been laid off are finding refuge in Maryland agencies. A communications official with the Department of Labor reports that since February, 150 former federal workers have landed a job with a Maryland state agency. 'We have a bunch hired in our own agency,' Wu said. 'We know that there are a lot of talented people out there and we're excited to welcome them to state government.' The labor department is not the only Maryland agency picking up laid-off federal workers. Others include the departments of Health, Human Services, Public Safety and Correctional Services, Education and Information Technology, the Office of the Attorney General and the Comptroller of Maryland. 'They are in a very broad range of roles – from administration and program management to health, IT, and legal fields. This includes experts in specialized and technical positions, such as information systems auditor, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) analyst, natural resources biologist, veterinarian and hydrographic engineer,' according to a labor department official. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
14-04-2025
- CBS News
Baltimore County man pleads guilty to bribing state employee to secure cleaning contracts
A Randallstown man has pleaded guilty to bribing a state employee to secure nearly $175,000 in COVID-related cleaning contracts, according to the Maryland Attorney General's Office. Mark Anthony Sykes, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of bribery of a public employee in Baltimore County Circuit Court. Prosecutors said Sykes paid approximately $20,000 in bribes to the former Director of General Services for the Maryland Department of Labor in exchange for steering state contracts to his company, Building Enterprises LLC. Between July 2020 and March 2021, Sykes' company received $174,903.25 from the State of Maryland for COVID-related facilities cleaning services through what investigators described as a fraudulent procurement scheme. Sykes' sentencing is set for April 29. On March 10, a 73-year-old Maryland man was charged with lying about his citizenship, misusing social security and committing passport fraud, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office. Days later, Nichelle Henson, a former Baltimore City Council Candidate was found guilty of COVID-19 relief fraud, after federal prosecutors proved she submitted fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Paycheck Protection Program loans for several non-operational businesses. Earlier this month, Baltimore City officials were alerted to the theft of $1.5 million by a fraudulent vendor. A bank alerted the city after an account received two payments, once for $803,000 and another for $721,000. While the money was approved for a vendor, it was directed to an unrelated bank account.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Federal Health and Human Services cuts include 90 in Frederick County
As President Donald Trump's administration cuts thousands of jobs from the federal Department of Health and Human Services, a notice filed with the Maryland Department of Labor indicates 90 DHSS jobs are being cut in Frederick County. Maryland's Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) lists 90 DHHS jobs in Frederick County to be eliminated as part of a mass layoff, effective May 30. The list did not include details on what types of jobs were being eliminated, or where in Frederick County they are located. Sasha Galbreath, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. April McClain Delaney, said Friday that the office was working to learn details about the positions. Officials with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, city of Frederick Department of Economic Development, the office of Gov. Wes Moore, and other sources either could not be reached for comment or did not know exact details about the Frederick County cuts. The WARN list included 2,755 HHS jobs being cut across Maryland in 11 notices dated March 31. In an email Thursday, HHS Deputy Press Secretary Emily Hilliard did not answer specific questions about the Frederick County cuts, but said the cuts were meant to align HHS with its core missions. She wrote that the phase of the project unveiled Tuesday notified about 10,000 HHS employees across the country. The cuts were centered around redundant or unnecessary administrative positions, her email said. In another posting on Wednesday, the WARN website also listed 16 positions cut at Leidos, a federal contractor that has managed the National Cancer Institute's Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research for about 30 years, until losing the contract in January. Those cuts are scheduled to take effect June 1.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Laid-off federal workers are overwhelming states with unemployment requests, putting a strain on finances
Dozens of states are warning that their social services are under financial strain due to the volume and pace of unemployment requests from federal employees who have been fired in the DOGE-led job cuts. At least 100,000 employees have been terminated across various federal agencies and departments over the last seven weeks. Tens of thousands of probationary employees have also been let go and more reductions are expected in the near future. Federal workers say they have no time to prepare for unemployment and there is minimal communication with the administration about obtaining benefits. They are left scrambling to obtain unemployment with their states so they can continue paying their bills and keeping food on the table. As a result, states are being inundated with social service requests for unemployment with little to no warning and dwindling financial resources, 19 state attorney generals said in a court filing last week. 'In addition to the informational and procedural injuries resulting from the deprivation of notice to which they were entitled, the lack of notice has impeded the ability of many Plaintiff States to support affected employees and thereby mitigate the financial and other impacts on state services,' Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown wrote. The Maryland Department of Labor said it receives 30 to 60 new claims every day. The state is home to more than 140,000 federal workers. The Illinois Department of Employment Security has received nearly the same number of applications for unemployment benefits from federal workers in two and a half months as it did all of last year. Each time an unemployment claim is filed, the state must investigate and then allocate the proper resources. But, for areas of the country such as Washington, D.C., which relies heavily on taxpayer dollars – many of whom are federal employees, the loss of tax revenue impacts the social services they can offer. The state attorney generals have asked a federal judge to place an injunction on the reductions in force. The breakneck pace at which the government is conducting layoffs, buyouts or firings is a result of President Donald Trump's collaboration with billionaire Elon Musk to create the Department of Government Efficiency – a newly-established and informal group within the executive department analyzing areas where the government can cut costs. Musk has promised to drastically reduce the federal workforce as part of the effort to cut costs, believing that most government employees are unnecessary. Federal agencies have until April to provide the administration with their plan to consolidate management. Per federal laws, if a government agency carries out a reduction in force, it must follow guidelines that protect certain employees and provide advance notice to states about the incoming surge of unemployed residents. State attorney generals say the government has not done that.
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Laid-off federal workers are overwhelming states with unemployment requests, putting a strain on finances
Dozens of states are warning that their social services are under financial strain due to the volume and pace of unemployment requests from federal employees who have been fired in the DOGE-led job cuts. At least 100,000 employees have been terminated across various federal agencies and departments over the last seven weeks. Tens of thousands of probationary employees have also been let go and more reductions are expected in the near future. Federal workers say they have no time to prepare for unemployment and there is minimal communication with the administration about obtaining benefits. They are left scrambling to obtain unemployment with their states so they can continue paying their bills and keeping food on the table. As a result, states are being inundated with social service requests for unemployment with little to no warning and dwindling financial resources, 19 state attorney generals said in a court filing last week. 'In addition to the informational and procedural injuries resulting from the deprivation of notice to which they were entitled, the lack of notice has impeded the ability of many Plaintiff States to support affected employees and thereby mitigate the financial and other impacts on state services,' Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown wrote. The Maryland Department of Labor said it receives 30 to 60 new claims every day. The state is home to more than 140,000 federal workers. The Illinois Department of Employment Security has received nearly the same number of applications for unemployment benefits from federal workers in two and a half months as it did all of last year. Each time an unemployment claim is filed, the state must investigate and then allocate the proper resources. But, for areas of the country such as Washington, D.C., which relies heavily on taxpayer dollars – many of whom are federal employees, the loss of tax revenue impacts the social services they can offer. The state attorney generals have asked a federal judge to place an injunction on the reductions in force. The breakneck pace at which the government is conducting layoffs, buyouts or firings is a result of President Donald Trump's collaboration with billionaire Elon Musk to create the Department of Government Efficiency – a newly-established and informal group within the executive department analyzing areas where the government can cut costs. Musk has promised to drastically reduce the federal workforce as part of the effort to cut costs, believing that most government employees are unnecessary. Federal agencies have until April to provide the administration with their plan to consolidate management. Per federal laws, if a government agency carries out a reduction in force, it must follow guidelines that protect certain employees and provide advance notice to states about the incoming surge of unemployed residents. State attorney generals say the government has not done that.
