Delaware Unemployment in January – Higher

After no reports since the December 2025 Labor Review in January, the Delaware Department of Labor has released the Labor Review for January. 

            Image courtesy DE Department of Labor/January Labor Review

At the end of March, the Department of Labor sent out a release that between December and January, more than 12,000 new claims were filed causing a backlog – which has now been over 99% cleared. This backlog has also launched a reorganization and search for technology to better manage increases in claims and to process them more efficiently.

Unemployment statewide increased from 5.3% in December to 5.4% in January – the highest level since August of 2021, while the national average decreased from 4.4% to 4.3% in January. However the county numbers show much higher changes, with Sussex County unemployment increasing from 5.2% in December to 5.8% in January.

According to the January Labor Review, there were 27,900 unemployed Delawareans in January compared to 21,300 in January of 2025. The largest over-the-year job increase from January 2025 to January 2026 was in the Private Education and Health sector, followed by Construction while the Leisure & Hospitality Sector showed the largest over-the-year decrease.

CLICK HERE FOR THE JANUARY LABOR REVIEW