Overall unemployment rate moved down to 3.6% with the biggest shift in Restaurants & Hotels, which gained 8,900 roles, based on the most recently available information published in May 2023.

Total employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD market rose by 27,876 jobs in March and the unemployment rate decreased compared to the prior month by 60 bps to 3.6%. The national unemployment rate decreased by 27 bps over the same time to 3.6%.

  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD unemployment rate is 2 bps below the national rate which is a positive sign.
  • Unemployment in the market is 60 bps below the unemployment rate in the market last year at this time, which is a positive.
  • Average wages (per hour) grew in March versus prior month by 3.1% and are down compared to last year at this time in the market.
Month over Month Unemployment Change
Year over Year Unemployment Change
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Unemployment March 2023

For key employment segments of the market, total jobs grew by 0.6% . Key sectors include:

  • Education & Healthcare: 704,100; +5,200
  • Transportation & Utilities: 547,400; -1,500
  • Business Services: 499,100; +4,200
  • Government: 339,800; +1,100
  • Restaurants & Hotels: 262,800; +8,900
  • Financial Services: 229,000; +800
  • Manufacturing: 181,200; -500
  • Other Jobs: 122,700; +1,500
  • Construction, Mining: 120,700; -200
  • IT & Development: 54,300; -100
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Unemployment by Industry March 2023

Data is based on the most recent 12 months available, through March 2023 (Data published May 2023 and reports created on May 9,2023).  Source: Government data agency and locally acquired statistics.

Note: All reported data is not seasonally adjusted.