Delaware jobless rate hits record high at 14.3 percent

Delaware's unemployment rate hit an all-time high and the number of unemployed workers nearly tripled as reported in new data released by the state Department of Labor.

According to the DOL Monthly Labor Review for April 2020, Delaware's unemployment rate rose to 14.3 percent, close to three times the 5 percent rate reported in March. The report shows 66,700 residents filed for unemployment in April compared to 23,800 who filed in March. About one in seven workers is currently unemployed.

A year ago in April 2019, there were 17,600 unemployed Delawareans, said Thomas Dougherty, chief labor market economist for DOL.

Previously, the highest rate of unemployment in Delaware was about 9 percent, set in 2010.

The hardest hit industry is the leisure and hospitality group, where employment is down 30 percent since the beginning of the year, with restaurants closed for in-store business since mid-March. Limited business will be allowed to resume Monday, June 1.

The next monthly labor review will analyze May unemployment data and will be released June 19.

In the latest weekly report issued May 28 on initial unemployment claims, the number of claims for the week ending May 23 was 4,651, a decrease from the 5,584 claims for the week ending May 16. More than $47 million was paid out in unemployment for the week ending May 23.