South Carolina’s Employment Situation – September 2010

COLUMBIA,SC – October 22, 2010 – The South Carolina Department of Employment andWorkforce, in partnership with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reportedtoday that South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment ratedecreased to 11.0% in September from a revised rate of 11.1% in August.Over the month, the number of employed persons increased by 6,219(0.3%), and the number of unemployed declined by 652 (-0.3%). Thisresulted in an increase in the labor force (employed + unemployed) of5,567 to 2,153,870.

Nationally, the September unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.6%.The national labor force also grew in September by 48,000, withmovement upward in employment (+141,000) and movement downward inunemployment (-93,000). Of note, nationally, those working part timefor economic reasons have increased two months in a row with anincrease in September of 612,000 following an increase of 331,000 inAugust.

The monthly establishment survey in South Carolina showed growth of1,800 nonagricultural jobs in September. The Government sector(+14,400) accounted for most of the growth as local governmenteducation services staff continued their return for the school year.However, the Federal government sector decreased by (-1,600),reflecting a reduction in Census jobs. The private sector declined by12,600 jobs in September. Private sector losses were recorded in RetailTrade (-2,900), Professional and Business Services (-1,100), Leisureand Hospitality (-9,100), and Construction (-600). Private sector gainswere noted in Manufacturing (+200), and Education and Health Services(+3,900). The overall job count was 11,900 above the year-ago level;the private sector accounted for approximately 7,700 of the overall jobcount increase over the year.

“Consumer sentiment remains weak, and this continues to influencethe demand for goods and services,” said John L. Finan, ExecutiveDirector of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. “As thestate’s economy strives to recover from the recent recession we, atSCDEW, remain committed to supporting the needs of job seekers andemployers by offering a variety of tools and services to assist bothgroups of customers.”

One of these tools is the South Carolina Virtual OneStop (VOS) system. The web site www.sconestop.orgis a powerful online tool designed to assist job seekers in finding theright job, and help employers who are looking for the best jobcandidates. The site serves as a hub for the state’s workforce serviceswhile focusing on job openings and job candidates. The site is also avaluable resource for policy makers, researchers, and others seeking toexplore and analyze local labor markets in South Carolina. Of thevarious online job search engine databases, in early October, more than46,000 jobs were listed in the Virtual OneStop database.