2011 South Carolina’s Employment Situation April 2011
May 20, 2011
SC Job Gains Outpace the National Average; Unemployment Rate Gradually Drops
May 20, 2011 – South Carolina continues to displayone of the fastest declining unemployment rates in the Southeast.April’s rate of 9.8 percent reflects the fourth month in a row the rate has declined, and represents a whopping 1.1 percent decline sinceDecember 2010 and a 2 percent decline since 2009. At the same time,employment estimates continued to increase for the eighth consecutivemonth.
In April, there was an increase of 11,700 nonagricultural jobs (not seasonally adjusted). Industries with the greatest growth were Leisure and Hospitality (6,600), Retail Trade (2,100) and Manufacturing (1,600). The state’s labor force expanded to 2,152,855, according to thecurrent population survey.
According to the establishment survey which looks at payroll, since January the state’s percent job gains have exceeded the national average. This has allowed over 14,000 South Carolinians to return to work since the beginning of this year.
Similar to the decreasing unemployment rate, other positive trends show that the average weekly initial claims for state unemployment benefits have dropped down to pre-recession levels from a high of 8,637 in 2008 to a current number of around 3,700. Likewise, the average weekly payment for state unemployment benefits declined from a high of almost $21 million in 2009 to just under $8 million in May 2011.
Gov. Haley said, This is just another reason to celebrate what’s happening in South Carolina. We’ve now seen four straight months of declining unemployment with over 7,000 new jobs announced. Every day our team is selling South Carolina, and it’s an easy sell. Businessleaders across this state and nation know that we will fight to keepour state a competitive and hospitable environment to bring and expand jobs.
We are excited about the continued decline of the unemployment rate and the steady increase of job estimates in the state, and I am encouraged that the South Carolina employment landscape appears to have turned the corner, said SC Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director John Finan. We know through our own employment services that the jobs are out there, and we are certainly making every effort to match good people with good jobs. Also, the decline inbenefit payments means good news for businesses when tax rates arecalculated next year.
