Delaware’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in December 2017 was 4.6 percent, down slightly from 4.7 percent in November, the Delaware Department of Labor reported.
The lower jobless rate came as total employment declined The figures run counter to the slow growth occurring elsewhere in the region as well as the nation.
There were 21,800 unemployed Delawareans in December 2017 compared to 20,400 in December 2016. The US unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in December 2017, unchanged from November.
In December 2017, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment in the state totaled 453,800, unchanged from November 2017. Since December 2016, Delaware’s total nonfarm jobs have decreased by 200. Nationally, jobs during that period increased 1.5 percent.
In 2016, Delaware began the year with moderate job growth (about 1.5 percent), which then petered out towards the end of the year, leaving the state with a net 350 new jobs (less than 0.1 percent) created by year’s end.
The year of 2017 is looking very much the same, with early tepid growth (about half the percentage of early 2016) fading to what now looks like a slight net loss for the year, the analysis stated.
Complete payroll records won’t be available for several more months and could lead to perhaps modest revisions, the Labor Department reported.
The nation and our neighboring states are not experiencing the same job market.
Maryland has seen an uptick in growth to over two percent. Pennsylvania has gone from just under one percent growth to slightly over that figure.
In Delaware, two industries are among the biggest job losers – temporary help and restaurants are down a combined 2,700 jobs over the year. That number will turn around quickly when stronger job growth returns, the Labor Department commentary stated.
