Delaware’s unemployment rate in January 2023 was 4.6%, unchanged from December.
The Delaware Department of Labor reported 22,900 unemployed Delawareans in January 2023 compared to 23,100 in January of last year.
The nation’s unemployment rate was 3.4% in January 2023, down from 3.5% in December 2022. February figures for the nation showed a 3.6% unemployment rate as more people entered a strong job market looking for work. Delaware’s February jobs report will be released toward the end of March.
In January 2022, the nation’s unemployment rate was 4%, while Delaware’s was 4.6%. In January 2023, seasonally adjusted nonfarm employment was 479,300, up from 477,000 in December 2022.
Since January 2022, Delaware’s total nonfarm jobs have increased by 14,600, an increase of 3.2%. Nationally, jobs during that period increased 3.3%. Delawsare’s job growth has trailed the national figure over the past year.
In its monthly commentary, the state Labor Department noted that wages over the past year in Delaware rose by 3.3%. That was well below the 6.4% annual inflation rate, leading to the Federal Reserve raising interest rates.
Delaware saw growth in nearly all job categories over the past year. The one exception was information (information technology and related areas) which saw a slight dip that could be partly due to unfilled job openings.
