Delaware unemployment rates remain unchanged

November unemployment numbers hold steady at 5.1 percent for the First State.

The Delaware Department of Labor reported November’s unemployment rate of 5.1 percent remains unchanged from October. The U.S. unemployment rate maintained a similar status at 5.0 percent between October and November.

The report also compared Delaware employment trends between people with a Bachelor’s degree and those with a high school diploma. It states that over the past year the unemployment rate for those with a Bachelor’s degree or higher has averaged 2.5 percent; while the unemployment rate for high school diploma graduates is twice that at 5 percent.

In addition, this month the Department of Labor shared details of the labor force participation rate (LFPR) between degree-holding people job seekers and high school graduates. In Delaware the LFPR of people with a Bachelor’s degree is 73 percent compared to a 58 percent participation rate of high school graduates.

According to a Brookings report published this month, “The steepest drops in labor force participation were among those enrolled in school and those who dropped out of high school. While those enrolled in school may be dropping out of the labor force to focus on their studies, those without a high school diploma may have withdrawn from the labor force due to a lack of available jobs—especially good-paying jobs—given their skill level.”

In Delaware, the Department of Labor explains, “One reason for the state’s recent increases in LFPR is 25,000 more college graduates since 2012, the largest gain of any group.”