Civilian labor force population: 445,200
May 2013 unemployment rate: 7.2 percent
Compared to many states, Delaware’s unemployment rate remained relatively stable during the recession, peaking at 8.4 percent in 2010. It’s been hovering in the low 7 percent-range for the past year and a half. George Sharpley, chief economist for Delaware’s labor department, explained to NPR’s Delaware affiliate WDDE in June that the unemployment rate has stagnated because the available labor force is increasing at around the same rate that the state is adding jobs.
“Part of that is people re-entering the job force after they left for a while,” Sharpley said. “So, I think if the job growth does continue and then those people get absorbed into the workforce I think we’ll start seeing the unemployment rate fall again.”
