South Carolina’s Employment Situation December 2016
January 23, 2017
Employment Marks Another New Record in December
South Carolinians continued to find work in December as employment rose to a new record high and unemployment dropped for the eighth consecutive month.
The number of people working in December rose by 8,700 from November to a record level of 2,208,923. The number of unemployed declined by 3,204 to 98,962, the lowest level since April 2001, and the labor force rose by 5,496 people to 2,307,885.
These factors pushed South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate estimate down to 4.3 percent in December from 4.4 percent in November.
Since December 2015, employment has increased by 69,926, and the labor force added 44,455 people. In the last year, the number of unemployed has dropped by 25,471.
Nationally, the jobless rate increased to 4.7 percent in December from 4.6 percent in November.
DEW Executive Director Cheryl Stanton’s Statement:
“As businesses keep expanding and moving to South Carolina, there is more and more demand for our state’s most valuable resource – our people. Opportunities abound for those who seek them as our unemployment rate continues to fall to levels not experienced in 16 years,” said Cheryl Stanton, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. “It is exciting to see the record number of people entering the workforce. But we can’t rest, we must continue focusing our efforts on helping the 99,000 unemployed find work.”
Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted1)
December’s seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment declined by 1,700 from November to a level of 2,070,100.
- Job gains were reported in Education and Health Services (+2,000); Government (+1,000); Manufacturing (+500); Financial Activities (+500); and Information (+200).
- Decreases occurred in Professional and Business Services (-1,600); Construction (-1,600); Leisure and Hospitality (-1,500); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-1,000); and Other Services (-100).
Compared to December 2015, seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were up 34,900.
- Increases were registered in Education and Health Services (+10,600); Professional and Business Services (+9,400); Manufacturing (+4,300); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+4,200); Government (+3,300); Construction (+2,700); Financial Activities (+1,600); and Leisure and Hospitality (+700).
- Other Services (-1,700) and Information (-400) decreased.
Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted2)
Over the month, the not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 5,200 to 2,076,100. Growth was reported in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+3,200); Education and Health Services (+1,700); Manufacturing (+300); Information (+100); and Other Services (+100). Financial Activities remained steady. Industries reporting prominent decreases were Leisure and Hospitality (-6,200); Professional and Business Services (-2,800); Construction (-1,300); Government (-200); and Mining and Logging (-100).
Since December 2015, not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were up 37,600. Industries marking annual gains were Education and Health Services (+10,900); Professional and Business Services (+9,600); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+5,700); Manufacturing (+3,800); Government (+2,900); Construction (+2,500); Leisure and Hospitality (+2,300); Financial Activities (+1,400); and Mining and Logging (+200). Other Services (-1,100) and Information (-600) noted over-the-year losses.
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.
