MRA in the News

• Maryland businesses work to improve recruitment through signing bonuses

  Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021

  Desperate for workers, many local businesses are turning to signing bonuses to try and recruit new employees. That shortage continues despite the loosening of coronavirus restrictions and clamping down on unemployment benefits. According to the Maryland Retailers Association, for many employers, this is a… Read More

• Maryland companies, retailers say they won’t make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for workers, at least not yet

  Friday, June 11th, 2021

  A day after Maryland hospitals said they would start requiring COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment, businesses, retail associations and consumer groups in the state said they would not rush to make the same decision. The exception might be in nursing homes, where… Read More

• More Maryland unemployment changes: State will resume work search requirement in July

  Thursday, June 10th, 2021

  People receiving unemployment benefits in Maryland will soon have to document that they’re looking for a new job as the state joins others around the nation in reinstating work-search requirements. The change will come next month as Maryland also cuts benefits to tens of… Read More

• Md. Democratic Party Chair Slams Hogan’s Decision To Reinstate Work Search Requirements For Unemployment Recipients

  Tuesday, May 18th, 2021

  Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis Thursday slammed Gov. Larry Hogan’s recent to decision to reinstate the pre-pandemic requirement that Marylanders who receive unemployment insurance benefits be actively searching for work. Hogan announced the decision at a news conference on Wednesday. The governor said that he… Read More

• Businesses seek to gauge how much pandemic has changed consumers

  Friday, May 7th, 2021

  Making a quick trip to the store to pick up a product like wrapping paper, laundry detergent or toothpaste was a typical part of everyday life until the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Nonessential businesses were shut down to in-person visits for several months, and… Read More

• When should employees come back to small businesses?

  Friday, April 30th, 2021

  As more people are venturing out of their homes and into public spaces, many small businesses may be wondering when to bring back employees that were furloughed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The decision depends on the type of business and the volume… Read More

• Experts offer tips on positioning business in post COVID economy

  Tuesday, April 27th, 2021

  As more residents are being vaccinated and restrictions are being scaled back, small businesses remain in survival mode after COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and ever-changing regulations dealt them crippling blows. The Maryland Daily Record recently hosted a webinar on “Positioning Your Business in a Post-COVID… Read More

• Maryland Adds 13,100 Jobs In March, Unemployment Stays At 6.2%: Labor Report

  Thursday, April 22nd, 2021

  Maryland’s economy added 13,100 jobs in March and the state’s unemployment rate remained at 6.2%, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday morning. Maryland added 1,200 jobs in February. The national unemployment rate is at 6%.… Read More

• MRA Participates in Webinar: Positioning Your Business in a Post Covid Economy

  Monday, April 19th, 2021

  MRA President Cailey Locklair participated in a webinar panel from the Daily Record: Positioning Your Business in a Post Covid Economy to discuss how businesses handled the COVID-19 pandemic and how to successfully move forward in the “new normal”. Click here to watch the… Read More

• Businesses heave sigh of relief over unemployment fund — but hope for more

  Friday, April 2nd, 2021

  For the Maryland business community, Gov. Larry Hogan’s Wednesday announcement that over a quarter of the $3.9 billion in federal relief funds that had been allocated to the state would go into the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund came as a major relief. Over $1.7… Read More