Unemployment in Delaware has climbed in 2017. The state’s jobless rate is at 4.8 percent, higher than the national average of 4.3 percent.
Gov. John Carney said he’s not sure why the state's number is headed in the wrong direction. But he says the unemployment rate may be rising because more people are entering the labor market.
Carney has also heard about many jobs in Delaware that are going unfilled because older workers are retiring and employers can’t find workers with the right skills to replace them.
“I met with owners of construction companies and their concern, even a complaint, was that they don’t have enough young people coming through the construction trades,” he said.
Carney said employers in the state are in need of diesel mechanics and high tech companies are also struggling to hire people - an issue he says the state’s institutions of higher education are trying to address.
“We had a topping off ceremony at the tower at the STAR Campus at the University of Delaware," he said. "Like some of things happening at Delaware State University here in Central Delaware. Those are the kinds of jobs that require college degrees and advanced degrees."
He’s been hosting small business roundtables this month and meeting with business leaders. He also signed legislation restructuring the state’s Economic Development Office as a public-private partnership.
