January 23rd, 2018 by WCBC Radio

Maryland lost an estimated 20,200 jobs in December as the state’s unemployment rate ticked up to 4 percent. While the state’s unemployment remains below the national average, Maryland experienced job losses across all major sectors last month, led by professional and business services, which shed 6,000 jobs. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released the monthly report on jobs and unemployment on Tuesday.

The state Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation noted in a news release that jobs statewide are up by 31,400 since December 2016, a gain of 1.1 percent.