Delaware jobless rate falls to 8.2%

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Delaware’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in September 2020 fell to  8.2 percent, down from 8.9 percent in August.

A record-high  40,400 unemployed Delawareans in September 2020, more than double the  19,300 in September 2019.

The US unemployment rate was slightly lower at 7.9 percent in September,  down from 8.4 percent in August. In September 2019, the US unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, while Delaware’s rate was 3.9 percent.

In September 2020, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment was 428,800 up from 426,700 in August.

Since September 2019, Delaware’s total nonfarm jobs have decreased by 37,500, a decline of eight percent. Nationally, jobs during that period declined by 6.4 percent.

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Job losses have taken place across the board, with the biggest declines coming in leisure-hospitality, down by 13,000 jobs from a year ago. Employment and other economic figures have become an election issue in Delaware, with Republicans claiming Gov. John Carney was too slow in reopening the state while criticizing continued occupancy limits at restaurants, salons  and gyms.

At the same time, concern is growing that the recent decline in jobless rates was fueled by CARES Act money that made its way to workers and businesses.

As the effect of that money disappates, some fear an upturn in jobless figures, especially if the state sees a second wave of coronavirus.

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