Naval Air Station Patuxent River  Military and Family Support Center

Southern Maryland's workforce has become increasingly white-collar, highly skilled and technically oriented, with nearly one-third of its residents possessing managerial, professional and technical skills. Over 1500 businesses are located in St. Mary's County. Major employers include federal, state and local governments, private Department of Defense related contractors as well as non-defense companies. The largest employment concentration in the county is in and around the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and the neighboring Lexington Park area.

Currently, St. Mary's County has more Technology opportunities that can be satisfied in the local labor pool. Many contractors are actively recruiting from other parts of the country to meet their hiring needs. Examples of employment opportunities for family members are Health Care, Teaching, Retail Sales, Office administration, and other white-collar jobs. Salaries are dependent upon education and experience levels. A great tool to compare 12 different areas of information between where you're at now, and the NAS Patuxent River area is to visit this website, and enter your Zip Code and compare against 20653.

Federal Jobs - https://www.usajobs.gov/

The Maryland Department of Labor and Licensing operates "One Stop" Career Centers around the state,  the closest one in Leonardtown, MD., approximately 15 minutes from the base. Employment Counselors, job listings, and computer resources are all available at each Career Center. More information can be obtained by visiting this website link.

Be sure to bring all employment records and information, resumes, transcripts, SF 171s, SF 50s, certificates and licenses with you for job hunting purposes, and when meeting with any Employment Counselor.

Transition Assistance Program Workshop is one of the best in the Navy. The three- and five-day seminars offer vital information and skill-building opportunities for separating and retiring military members and their spouses. One of the highlights of this program is an after-hours networking event with local employers. Active duty and family members can also call the Fleet and Family Support Center to schedule an individual appointment with either the Transition Assistance Program manager or the Family Employment Readiness Program manager to discuss employment opportunities and review resume drafts. A Computer Resource Room with internet access is available for your use on a walk-in basis. Local nonappropriated funds, state, federal and private company job announcements are posted in the Resource Room as well. Call the FFSC at 301-342-4911 or DSN 312-342-4911 for assistance or more information.

MyCAA

For information on MyCAA and Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities, visit Military OneSource.

Maryland permits Maryland's citizens to file initial claims for Unemployment Insurance via the Internet each time they become unemployed unless they fall under the following situations:

• You do not live in Maryland unless all your wages during the last 18 months were earned in Maryland.
• You earned no wages in Maryland in the last 18 months
• You worked for the Federal Government in the last 18 months
• You are filing for a federally funded Extension of Benefits.

If you fall under any of the situations outlined above, then you must file over the telephone. All Claim Centers take claims by telephone only every Monday through Friday, excluding State holidays from 8 a.m. ET until 3:00 p.m. ET.  Please file your claim in the claim center located closest to your home. Only one claim is filed for each period of unemployment. After your initial claim is established, you must file your continued claims (requests for checks) on a biweekly basis. These continued claims requests for checks may be filed over the telephone (Telecert) or via the Internet (Webcert). You can find out more about filing biweekly continued claims (requests for checks) and your responsibilities while filing for Unemployment Insurance by reviewing the Frequently Asked Questions or in the pamphlet, "What You Should Know about Unemployment Insurance in Maryland" that will be sent to you after you file your initial claim for benefits. The website to obtain on-line information for unemployment benefits can be found at this website.

The largest employment concentration in the county is in and around the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and the neighboring Lexington Park area. The unemployment rates as of June 2019 are 3.5% in St. Mary's County, 3.2% in Calvert County and 3.6% in Charles County. The U.S. average is 3.6% as of April 2019. Median household income in Maryland was $86,223 in 2018, well above the national median of $63,179 in 2018.