Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Delaware unemployment rate 4.3 percent for fourth straight month

Delaware’s job numbers for October were released Friday, showing the state’s unemployment rate holding steady at 4.3 percent for the third straight month.

That’s about as close to full employment as the state is going to get, according to George Sharpley, who manages data for Delaware’s Department of Labor.  

 

“When the unemployment rate is higher than that, you get the same people being unemployed week after week, but for the most part that’s not the case now,” Sharpley said. 

 

He said the unemployment rate now is reflecting a healthy amount of churn. Different people are entering and leaving unemployment every month.

 

As the state reaches full-employment, job growth is predicted to slow.

 

Delaware was adding jobs at a rate of 10,000 annually for most of 2015. Moving forward, the state is expected to add jobs at a rate of 5,000 annually. 

 

And that's not necessarily bad news, according to Sharpley. 

 

He said the state had been adding jobs at an above-average pace coming out of the recession, and this slowdown means most of the long-term unemployed have found work.

 

“Now, more growth going forward is going to be more of an organic nature. It’s going to be tied more to population growth than putting unemployed people back to work,” he said. 

 

Delaware’s challenge moving forward will be finding enough young workers to offset the state’s aging population.

 

 

Related Content