Delaware has seen an uptick in unemployment claims since Gov. John Carney lowered dining capacity and put into effect a curfew for Delaware restaurants.
The weekly claims jumped to nearly 4,400 for the week ending on the 12th - up from about 2,000 the week before.
This comes as Delaware’s monthly unemployment rate dropped again in November. This time from 5.6 to 5.1 percent.
State Division of Unemployment Director Darryl Scott notes that drop lowered Delaware three-month average unemployment to below 8 percent, which means claimants in Delaware no longer qualify for seven weeks of extended benefits.
“That’s why it’s so important the negotiations that are going on in Washington. You’ve got our high employment period, those seven additionally weeks of benefits that are going away. PEUC is set to expire on 12/26 PUA is set to expire on 12/26,” said Scott.
There were 24,400 unemployed Delawareans last month compared to 19,400 the same time last year with the bulk of the job loss occurring in the leisure and hospitality industry.
Scott says that number is on the rise in recent weeks and he fears it is continuing to grow.
More than $939 million in unemployment benefits has been paid to Delawareans since the start of the pandemic.
