Jobless rate in Delaware drops slightly in March

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Delaware’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in March 2018  was down slightly to 4.3 percent,  from 4.4 percent in February and 4.5 percent in January. [Not a valid template]

There were 20,700 unemployed Delawareans in March compared to 22,100 in March 2017.

The nation ’s unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in March 2018, unchanged from February 2018. In March 2017 the US unemployment rate was 4.5 percent, while Delaware’s rate was 4.6%.

Since March 2017, Delaware’s total nonfarm jobs have increased by a net gain of 3,100, a rise of 0.7 percent. Nationally, jobs during that period grew faster at  1.6 percent.

The commentary accompanying the jobs report indicated that signs of a tight labor market have appeared.

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In Delaware, the number of people who are voluntarily unemployed has risen, the Labor Department noted.

The median duration of unemployment is now 11.4 weeks,  with 14.3 percent of the state’s unemployed quitting their job. In 2012, when the economy was still emerging from the recession took a  job seeker 23.4 weeks to find work, with  7.3 percent of the unemployed leaving their job voluntarily.

Fewer people, meanwhile, are entering the workforce.

Since 2012, the number of Delawareans seeking their first job has dropped in each of last two years. It is now down to 1,500 per month over the last year, the Department of Labor reported. 

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