Employment hits new record as labor force grows

While the number of people working in South Carolina hit a new record and the size of the workforce rose, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly in January.

“It is encouraging to see nearly 10,000 people find work in January, setting a new employment record in the state. The economy in South Carolina is strong, and more and more people are feeling optimistic and are entering the job market to take advantage of the opportunities presented by employers that have decided to grow their businesses here,” said Cheryl Stanton, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

Employment rose by 9,373 in January from December 2016 to 2,209,235 people, and the labor force increased by 12,614 to 2,310,701 people. The unemployed rate rose 0.1 percent to 4.4 percent in January from 4.3 percent in December 2016. The number of unemployed increased by 3,241, to 101,466 people.

Over the past year, employment gains totaled 42,022 and unemployment decreased by 23,683. Since January 2016, the labor force has grown by 18,339.

Nationally, January’s unemployment rate was 4.8 percent, up from 4.7 percent in December 2016.

Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted¹)

January seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 5,300 over the month, to a record level of 2,076,000.

• South Carolina saw job gains in Professional and Business Services (+4,000); Financial Activities (+2,800); Other Services (+1,300); Education and Health Services (+500); and Information (+300).
• Decreases occurred in the Leisure and Hospitality (-1,600); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-1,300); Government (-600); Manufacturing (-100); and Construction (-100) sectors.

Compared to January 2016, seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were up 40,500.

• Industries with increases were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+7,700); Education and Health Services (+7,600); Construction (+7,100); Professional and Business Services (+5,600); Manufacturing (+4,400); Financial Activities (+3,100); Government (+2,400); Leisure and Hospitality (+1,200); Other Services (+600); and Information (+500).

Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted²)

Not-seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 42,800 from December 2016 to January 2017 to a total of 2,038,600.

Gains were reported in Financial Activities (+600); Other Services (+400); and Mining and Logging (+100). Industries reporting decreases were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-15,700); Leisure and Hospitality (-8,900); Government (-6,800); Professional and Business Services (-6,400); Education and Health Services (-3,500); Manufacturing (-1,400); and Construction (-1,100). Information saw a slight decline of (-100).

The over the year, not-seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were up 41,600. Gains were reported in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+9,500); Education and Health Services (+7,200); Construction (+6,600); Professional and Business Services (+5,500); Manufacturing (+4,600); Financial Activities (+2,700); Government (+2,300); Leisure and Hospitality (+1,300); Other Services (+1,200); Information (+400); and Mining and Logging (+300).

 

About DEW

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) is putting South Carolinians to work. The agency invests in building a pipeline of quality workers, matches workers with jobs, and is a bridge for individuals who find themselves out of work for no fault of their own. This promotes financial stability and economic prosperity for employers, individuals and communities. DEW is dedicated to advancing South Carolina through services that meet the needs of the state’s businesses, jobseekers and those looking to advance their careers