South Carolina’s Employment Situation April 2019

• Employment Expansion Continues 
• Unemployment Rate Ticks Up

The number of individuals working moved higher, by an estimated 6,704 people, compared to March of 2019, establishing a new record of 2,281,003.

Unemployment estimates increased over the month by 2,772 to 79,088 people. Additionally, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate ticked upward to 3.4 percent from March’s estimate of 3.2 percent.

The state’s labor force exceeded March’s estimate by approximately 9,476 to 2,360,091 people as more people entered the labor force looking for work.

Since April of 2018, employment gains moved noticeably higher by approximately 44,606 people. Likewise, the labor force estimate rose by nearly 41,806 people. The level of unemployed moved lower by about 2,800 people.

Nationally, the unemployment rate declined to 3.6 percent from March’s estimate of 3.8 percent. 

Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted¹)

In April 2019, seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payrolls increased by 6,700 over the month to a level of 2,178,500, a new record for the Palmetto State.

• Increase in employment was primarily due to growth in the Professional and Business Services (+3,300) industry across the state.
• Additional increases were seen in Other Services (+1,200); Government (+900); Trade, Transportation and Utilities (+400); Leisure and Hospitality (+400); Financial Activities (+300); Manufacturing (+200); Construction (+100); and Education and Health Services (+100).
• Information marked a slight decline in employment over the month (-200).

From April 2018 to April 2019, South Carolina’s economy has added 42,300 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs.

• Industries marking strong growth were Leisure and Hospitality (+8,700); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+8,700); Manufacturing (+8,100); Professional and Business Services (+7,000); Education and Health Services (+6,500); Government (+5,300); Financial Activities (+1,400); and Other Services (+700).
• Decreases were seen in Construction (-3,600) and Information (-600).

Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted²)

Not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 17,400 from March 2019 to April 2019 for a total of 2,181,700. Increases continued while businesses ramped up their hiring process during the spring season.

• Industries seeing growth were Leisure and Hospitality (+9,600); Professional and Business Services (+3,800); Government (+1,700); Other Services (+1,400); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+700); Construction (+400);Manufacturing (+300); and Financial Activities (+200). Meanwhile, Mining and Logging industry remained flat.
• Industries reporting losses were Education and Health Services (-500) and Information (-200).

Since April 2018, not seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs were up 39,500 in South Carolina.

• Industries marking strong annual gains were Leisure and Hospitality (+9,000); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+8,700); Manufacturing (+8,400); Education and Health Services (+6,900); Government (+5,300); Professional and Business Services (+4,000); Other Services (+700); Financial Activities (+400); and Mining and Logging (+100).
• Industries reporting declines were Construction (-3,200) and Information (-800).

DEW Executive Director Dan Ellzey’s Statement:

April 2019 Employment Situation

“South Carolina is enjoying unprecedented employment growth. I am excited to see the number of individuals working continue to reach new levels as employers hire their workforce,” said Dan Ellzey, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. “From January 1, 2019 to April 30, 2019, approximately 21,000 individuals have found employment. At the same time, we have more people entering the labor force and looking for jobs. While this will push up the unemployment rate, it is actually a good thing in that it will allow the opportunity to match these people with jobs and fill many open positions.”

 

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.