It’s another plunge in Delaware’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, with state officials saying it could signal unprecedented growth.
The First State jobless rate stands at 4.1 percent in May. That’s down nearly a full percent from this time last year.
It’s the first month in 2016 where employment rose by fewer than 2,000 people. Should this trend continue, Delaware will have added 30,000 jobs by the end of the year.
May’s figure is also six-tenths of a point below the national unemployment rate, which sits at 4.7 percent.
Over the past year, non-agriculture employment in Delaware has risen by 11,500 thousand jobs – mostly in professional and business services, hospitality, healthcare and education sectors.
Non-seasonally adjusted rates are a little scattered, with major cities and counties gaining or shedding jobs by a handful of points.
- New Castle County inched up 0.1 percent to 3.9 percent
- Wilmington lost 0.2 percent to 5.7 percent
- Dover jumped half a percent, finishing at 5.7 percent.
- Sussex County dropped 0.4 of a point, ending at 3.7 percent.