Delaware’s jobless rate fell to 6.2% in December from 6.5 % in November and 7.4 percent in July of last year.
The drop came as more people went to work and the total labor force shrunk.
Click on the link below for the report from the Delaware Department of Labor.
2013-12 MLR
The state Department of Labor reported 27,400 unemployed Delawareans in December 2013, compared to 31,600 in December 2012.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 6.7% in December 2013, down from 7% in November 2013. In December 2012, the U.S. unemployment rate was 7.9, while Delaware’s rate was 7.1.
In December 2013, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment was 430,600, up from 430,200 in November 2013. Since December 2012, Delaware’s total nonfarm jobs have increased by a net gain of 8,900, a rise of 2.1%. Nationally, jobs during that period increased 1.6%.
Job growth has accelerated in the state in recent months, with the state ranking No. 9 in a recent report from Arizona University.
At the same time, the size of the workforce has dropped over the past year. While the size of the workforce rose by 400 between November and December, the number declined by 6,900 from a year earlier. A possible sign of the mixed outlook is the annual report from Atlas Van Lines that showed more outbound than inbound moves to Delaware. The same thing happened in neighboring Pennsylvania.
The Delaware Department of Labor noted that contrasting job figures have been seen in Delaware and in neighboring states.
The state Department of Labor noted that two separate measurements of employment are beginning to converge with one another and could provide a clearer picture of the situation. However, for the year, the gap between payroll job figures and reported data continued to show up.
Revisions are expected that may reduce the difference in the two measurements of the labor market, the Labor Department reported stated.
Employment in the state has been aided by growth in the financial and services sectors. At the same time, government, construction, retail-wholesale and manufacturing sectors have remained weak.
Concern over blue collar manufacturing and construction jobs led to the formation of a state task force that issued its findings this week. The report calls for increased investment in infrastructure. and streamlining of regulations.
Gov. Jack Markell, in the annual State of the State message, proposed adding $500 million to transportation spending, a move that might aid construction employment.
Delaware’s jobless rate fell to 6.2% in December from 6.5 % in November and 7.4 percent in July of last year.
Jack Markell and staff have distorted the figures since he’s been in office. The State has been slipping for years and given Delaware’s small data base,it’s relatively easy to reflect positive changes by moving a few numbers that would be insignificant in another State. Opening a WaWa shows up statistically in the Diamond State.