For the second straight month, Delaware’s unemployment rate is at a 30-year low 3.2 percent.
The national rate remained consistent for the month of May as well at 3.6 percent.
George Sharpley is Chief of the Delaware Labor Department’s Office of Occupational and Labor Market Information. He says the economy is doing well, but that may not last.
“I expect the economy to slow down,” said Sharpley. “I think by the end of this year [sic] that should be more apparent. Whether or not we go into a recession, that is hard to say.”
New data also shows the number of employed Delawareans is growing twice as fast as the number of jobs in Delaware. Sharpley says this could mean more Delawareans are working out of state, but adds it’s more likely the job growth survey data is not as accurate as the payroll data showing the number of jobs available.
“The payroll job counts that we finally get from all the reports businesses have to submit—not a survey, which we have through December—basically is lining up with the current survey showing 4,000 jobs gained,” he said.
There were about 3,200 fewer Delawareans claiming unemployment in May than there were at the same time last year.
