South Carolina’s Employment Situation June 2017

Unemployment rate hits 4 percent, number of unemployed drops 4,800

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell for the third consecutive month to its lowest level since December 2000. The June rate dropped to 4 percent from 4.1 percent in May.

The number of unemployed people dropped in June by 4,816 to 91,710, the lowest level since February 2001. The state’s labor force decreased by 6,905 people to 2,321,592, as the number of people working declined by 2,089 to 2,229,882.

Since June 2016, the labor force has grown by 24,625, and employment gains totaled 45,949. The level of unemployed people decreased by 21,324.

Nationally, the unemployment rate increased from 4.3 percent in May to 4.4 percent in June. South Carolina’s unemployment rate has remained below the national rate for 12 consecutive months.

 

DEW Executive Director Cheryl Stanton’s June 2017 Employment Statement

“South Carolina is working and nearly 46,000 of our citizens obtained jobs in the last year. We need to continue providing our citizens the skills South Carolina businesses require. But we also need to continue to focus on populations that historically have been on the sidelines, such as the disabled, veterans, ex-offenders and youth, to ensure we get more workers into the system,” said Cheryl Stanton, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

 

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.

 

 

Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted¹)

Seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment in June 2017 increased by 500 over the month to a level of 2,080,000.

• Job gains were recorded in Manufacturing (+1,600); Professional and Business Services (+600); Education and Health Services (+500); Government (+400); and Financial Activities (+200).
• Industries with decreases in employment were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-900); Leisure and Hospitality (-700); Construction (-600); Other Services (-400); and Information       (-100).

Compared to June 2016, seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were up 29,700.

• Industries with gains were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+8,800); Manufacturing (+8,500); Education and Health Services (+3,900); Construction (+3,300); Professional and Business Services (+3,000); Government (+2,800); Leisure and Hospitality (+1,200); and Financial Activities (+300).
• Decreases were reported in Other Services (-1,200) and Information (-1,000).

Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted²)

Not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 1,300 from May to June for a total of 2,097,900.

• Growth was concentrated primarily in the Leisure and Hospitality (+4,600) sector. Increases also came from Professional and Business Services (+1,800); Manufacturing (+1,500); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+1,000); Financial Activities (+1,000); and Construction (+600). Mining and Logging and Information saw no changes. Government (-5,200); Education and Health Services (-3,100); and Other Services (-900) experienced decreases.

Since June 2016, not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were up 30,200 overall in South Carolina.

• Industries marking annual gains were Manufacturing (+8,400); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+8,100); Professional and Business Services (+6,400); Construction (+4,200); Education and Health Services (+3,100); and Government (+2,300). Additional gains were in Leisure and Hospitality (+500) and Mining and Logging (+200).
• Decreases occurred in the Other Services (-1,800); Information (-1,000); and Financial Activities (-200) sectors.