Delaware’s jobless rate inched up for the second straight month.
It reached 4.7 percent for the month of May.
That’s nearly half a percent higher than December when the unemployment rate was at 4.3 percent and had been flat for five months.
Much of the increase is due to more people entering the workforce – whether they’re employed or looking for a job.
That bucks the national trend, which continues to fall. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped again in May to 4.3 percent.
Delaware continues to bleed retail jobs, which have taken the biggest hit over the past year.
The hospitality and business service industries put up big gains over the past month, adding nearly 3,000 jobs combined.
Non-seasonally adjusted jobless rates in all of Delaware’s major cities and counties stayed flat or fell in May – except Dover.
