Maryland employers added jobs for the third consecutive month in November, and the state’s unemployment rate fell faster than it has in a month in almost three decades, according to federal figures released Tuesday.

The jobless rate dropped to 6.9 percent in November from 7.2 percent in October. That was the largest monthly percentage-point decline in Maryland since December 1983, when the rate fell by 1.2 percentage points.

Private employers continued to lead the gains, with 4,300 net additions in November. The public sector, mostly state agencies, slashed 2,300 jobs.

Maryland’s job boost is a legitimate one, with more people joining the labor force the past three months, said economist Daraius Irani.

“It’s generally a nice trend going on here,” said Irani, director of the Regional Economic Studies Institute’s applied economics and human services group at Towson University.

Among private employers that have added jobs in Maryland this year are Bethesda hotel operator Marriott International and delivery company UPS, according to a list compiled by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development each fall. Marriott added about 1,000 positions in the state in the past year to reach 10,000, while UPS beefed up its Maryland work force by 450 to reach 7,260.

Fort Meade continued to add employees through the Pentagon's base realignment program, about 3,500 to 44,540 in the past year. The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda added almost 3,000 positions to reach 11,000, according to state figures.

Most of the government jobs under BRAC had to be in place by September, so any increase at the bases in the past few months likely is among private contractors, Irani said. Cybersecurity continues to play a large role in the state, he said.

“Maryland has a great opportunity to become the center of cybersecurity in the nation,” Irani said.

Sectors with job boosts in November from October included retail, 2,600; professional and technical services, 1,800; and hotels and restaurants, 1,800. Declines were seen in administrative, 3,400; and manufacturing, 1,500.

In addition, October showed more job creation than initially reported, as officials revised the state’s figures up by 4,300 to a total gain of 7,400.

State officials were pleased with the progress in recent months while saying that job-training programs still need a boost.

“While this month’s report is another positive sign, our job growth must accelerate to keep Maryland competitive,” Maryland Labor Secretary Alexander M. Sanchez said in a statement.

kshay@gazette.net