BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
03/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/06/2026 14:11
Delaware Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2025
News Release Information
26-384-PHI
Friday, March 06, 2026
Contacts Technical information:
- (215) 597-3282
- [email protected]
- www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic
- (215) 861-5600
- [email protected]
Delaware Job Openings and Labor Turnover - December 2025
Delaware had 22,000 job openings in December 2025, unchanged from November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the job openings rate in Delaware was 4.2 percent in December and 4.3 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 3.9 percent in December and 4.2 percent in November. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.
View Chart Data
Chart 1. Job openings rates for the United States and Delaware, seasonally adjusted
| Month | Delaware | United States |
|
Dec 2021 |
6.9 | 7.1 |
|
Jan 2022 |
7.2 | 7.0 |
|
Feb 2022 |
7.0 | 7.2 |
|
Mar 2022 |
7.9 | 7.4 |
|
Apr 2022 |
8.4 | 7.3 |
|
May 2022 |
7.1 | 7.0 |
|
Jun 2022 |
7.0 | 6.9 |
|
Jul 2022 |
8.2 | 7.1 |
|
Aug 2022 |
6.7 | 6.2 |
|
Sep 2022 |
7.1 | 6.6 |
|
Oct 2022 |
7.2 | 6.4 |
|
Nov 2022 |
7.0 | 6.4 |
|
Dec 2022 |
7.0 | 6.6 |
|
Jan 2023 |
8.4 | 6.3 |
|
Feb 2023 |
6.6 | 6.0 |
|
Mar 2023 |
6.2 | 5.8 |
|
Apr 2023 |
6.2 | 6.0 |
|
May 2023 |
6.4 | 5.6 |
|
Jun 2023 |
6.2 | 5.6 |
|
Jul 2023 |
4.3 | 5.2 |
|
Aug 2023 |
5.6 | 5.6 |
|
Sep 2023 |
6.2 | 5.6 |
|
Oct 2023 |
5.1 | 5.2 |
|
Nov 2023 |
5.1 | 5.2 |
|
Dec 2023 |
5.4 | 5.2 |
|
Jan 2024 |
4.9 | 5.1 |
|
Feb 2024 |
5.1 | 5.1 |
|
Mar 2024 |
4.9 | 4.9 |
|
Apr 2024 |
4.9 | 4.6 |
|
May 2024 |
4.9 | 4.8 |
|
Jun 2024 |
4.5 | 4.5 |
|
Jul 2024 |
5.6 | 4.5 |
|
Aug 2024 |
5.0 | 4.6 |
|
Sep 2024 |
4.7 | 4.3 |
|
Oct 2024 |
5.2 | 4.6 |
|
Nov 2024 |
5.2 | 4.8 |
|
Dec 2024 |
5.0 | 4.5 |
|
Jan 2025 |
4.5 | 4.7 |
|
Feb 2025 |
4.5 | 4.5 |
|
Mar 2025 |
4.5 | 4.3 |
|
Apr 2025 |
4.4 | 4.4 |
|
May 2025 |
4.8 | 4.6 |
|
Jun 2025 |
4.5 | 4.4 |
|
Jul 2025 |
4.5 | 4.3 |
|
Aug 2025 |
4.6 | 4.3 |
|
Sep 2025 |
5.0 | 4.6 |
|
Oct 2025 |
4.8 | 4.5 |
|
Nov 2025 |
4.3 | 4.2 |
|
Dec 2025 |
4.2 | 3.9 |
The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in Delaware was 1.2 in December. Nationwide, 28 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in December that were lower than the national measure of 1.1 unemployed persons per job opening; 13 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 9 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)
Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, December 2025, seasonally adjusted
(U.S. ratio = 1.1)
In December, Delaware had 18,000 hires and 18,000 separations, compared to 15,000 hires and 18,000 separations in November. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in December, hires and separations each averaged 18,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.
View Chart Data
Chart 2. Hires and total separations in Delaware, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
| Month | Hires | Total separations |
|
Dec 2021 |
22 | 23 |
|
Jan 2022 |
24 | 23 |
|
Feb 2022 |
27 | 21 |
|
Mar 2022 |
25 | 24 |
|
Apr 2022 |
26 | 24 |
|
May 2022 |
22 | 22 |
|
Jun 2022 |
23 | 24 |
|
Jul 2022 |
26 | 21 |
|
Aug 2022 |
25 | 23 |
|
Sep 2022 |
24 | 22 |
|
Oct 2022 |
26 | 27 |
|
Nov 2022 |
26 | 23 |
|
Dec 2022 |
25 | 21 |
|
Jan 2023 |
31 | 30 |
|
Feb 2023 |
24 | 25 |
|
Mar 2023 |
21 | 22 |
|
Apr 2023 |
23 | 21 |
|
May 2023 |
24 | 21 |
|
Jun 2023 |
24 | 20 |
|
Jul 2023 |
19 | 20 |
|
Aug 2023 |
21 | 20 |
|
Sep 2023 |
23 | 22 |
|
Oct 2023 |
18 | 18 |
|
Nov 2023 |
20 | 18 |
|
Dec 2023 |
21 | 17 |
|
Jan 2024 |
19 | 18 |
|
Feb 2024 |
20 | 17 |
|
Mar 2024 |
20 | 16 |
|
Apr 2024 |
19 | 18 |
|
May 2024 |
20 | 18 |
|
Jun 2024 |
18 | 18 |
|
Jul 2024 |
20 | 26 |
|
Aug 2024 |
19 | 17 |
|
Sep 2024 |
21 | 18 |
|
Oct 2024 |
20 | 17 |
|
Nov 2024 |
16 | 17 |
|
Dec 2024 |
20 | 22 |
|
Jan 2025 |
17 | 17 |
|
Feb 2025 |
18 | 18 |
|
Mar 2025 |
18 | 18 |
|
Apr 2025 |
19 | 17 |
|
May 2025 |
17 | 18 |
|
Jun 2025 |
18 | 16 |
|
Jul 2025 |
18 | 22 |
|
Aug 2025 |
18 | 16 |
|
Sep 2025 |
18 | 17 |
|
Oct 2025 |
18 | 15 |
|
Nov 2025 |
15 | 18 |
|
Dec 2025 |
18 | 18 |
Among the December separations in Delaware, 11,000 were quits and 6,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 11,000 quits and 6,000 layoffs and discharges in November. (See chart 3.) Over the year, quits averaged 11,000 per month, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 5,000 per month, ranging from 4,000 to 9,000.
View Chart Data
Chart 3. Quits and layoffs and discharges in Delaware, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
| Month | Quits | Layoffs & discharges |
|
Dec 2021 |
16 | 6 |
|
Jan 2022 |
16 | 5 |
|
Feb 2022 |
15 | 5 |
|
Mar 2022 |
17 | 6 |
|
Apr 2022 |
18 | 6 |
|
May 2022 |
15 | 5 |
|
Jun 2022 |
17 | 5 |
|
Jul 2022 |
15 | 5 |
|
Aug 2022 |
16 | 6 |
|
Sep 2022 |
17 | 4 |
|
Oct 2022 |
19 | 7 |
|
Nov 2022 |
17 | 5 |
|
Dec 2022 |
14 | 5 |
|
Jan 2023 |
17 | 12 |
|
Feb 2023 |
16 | 7 |
|
Mar 2023 |
15 | 6 |
|
Apr 2023 |
14 | 5 |
|
May 2023 |
15 | 5 |
|
Jun 2023 |
13 | 6 |
|
Jul 2023 |
13 | 6 |
|
Aug 2023 |
14 | 5 |
|
Sep 2023 |
15 | 6 |
|
Oct 2023 |
12 | 5 |
|
Nov 2023 |
12 | 5 |
|
Dec 2023 |
12 | 5 |
|
Jan 2024 |
12 | 5 |
|
Feb 2024 |
11 | 5 |
|
Mar 2024 |
11 | 4 |
|
Apr 2024 |
12 | 4 |
|
May 2024 |
12 | 5 |
|
Jun 2024 |
12 | 5 |
|
Jul 2024 |
15 | 9 |
|
Aug 2024 |
11 | 5 |
|
Sep 2024 |
11 | 6 |
|
Oct 2024 |
10 | 6 |
|
Nov 2024 |
11 | 5 |
|
Dec 2024 |
15 | 7 |
|
Jan 2025 |
11 | 5 |
|
Feb 2025 |
11 | 5 |
|
Mar 2025 |
12 | 5 |
|
Apr 2025 |
10 | 6 |
|
May 2025 |
13 | 4 |
|
Jun 2025 |
10 | 5 |
|
Jul 2025 |
12 | 9 |
|
Aug 2025 |
11 | 4 |
|
Sep 2025 |
11 | 4 |
|
Oct 2025 |
9 | 5 |
|
Nov 2025 |
11 | 6 |
|
Dec 2025 |
11 | 6 |
Upcoming Change to the JOLTS State Estimates
The national State Job Openings and Labor Turnover news release will move from a monthly news release to an annual news release. The first annual news release will be in July 2026. Going forward, monthly estimates for the prior calendar year will be published each year along with the annual news release. The annual news release will incorporate benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, updated Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and updated Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data.
Technical Note
This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based, incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology.
Job Openings. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets all three of these conditions:
- A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
- The job could start within 30 days.
- The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.
The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.
Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.
Separations. Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.
- Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations.
- Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer.
- Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.
Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.
Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note.
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Table 1. Job openings and labor turnover for Delaware, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)| Estimate | December 2024 | September 2025 | October 2025 | November 2025 | December 2025(p) | Change from November 2025 to December 2025(p) |
|
Openings |
26 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 0 |
|
Hires |
20 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 3 |
|
Total separations |
22 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
|
Quits |
15 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
|
Layoffs & discharges |
7 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
|
Footnotes: |
||||||
| Estimate | December 2024 | September 2025 | October 2025 | November 2025 | December 2025(p) | Change from November 2025 to December 2025(p) |
|
Openings(1) |
5.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.2 | -0.1 |
|
Hires(2) |
4.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 0.6 |
|
Total separations(3) |
4.5 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 0.0 |
|
Quits(3) |
3.1 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.0 |
|
Layoffs & discharges(3) |
1.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.0 |
|
Footnotes: |
||||||
| Estimate | December 2024 | September 2025 | October 2025 | November 2025 | December 2025(p) | Change from November 2025 to December 2025(p) |
|
Openings(1) |
4.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 | -0.3 |
|
Hires(2) |
3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.1 |
|
Total separations(3) |
3.2 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.1 |
|
Quits(3) |
1.9 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
|
Layoffs & discharges(3) |
1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
|
Footnotes: |
||||||
BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published this content on March 06, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 06, 2026 at 20:12 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]