Delaware lost 1,200 jobs last month, according to the latest state unemployment data.
The state’s June jobless rate was 4.7 percent, which is the same as it was in May. But overall this year, Delaware’s unemployment rate has been rising.
George Sharpley, with Delaware’s Department of Labor, said it’s unclear what’s happening.
“It could just be that the industries that have been driving growth in recent years like warehousing and finance have slowed down and that other industries will pick up,” he said.
But Sharpley said the decline in job growth could also signal the nation is at the edge of a hiring slowdown.
Delaware’s net gain in jobs this year now stands at 400. That’s slightly less than .1 percent growth. Over the same period, the national average is .6 percent growth.
Education, healthcare and construction are leading job growth in Delaware.
Retail, transportation and professional sectors are seeing the biggest job losses.
