PrintPrint
South Carolina’s unemployment rate increased to 11.6% in September from a revised rate of 11.4% in August. Lexington County continues to lead with the lowest unemployment rate of 8.3%. In the Lowcountry, rates held nearly steady with Charleston County posting a rate of 9%, down 0.1% from the previous month; Berkeley County posting a rate of 10.7%, up 0.1%; and Dorchester County posting a rate of 10.3%, down 0.1%.
Staff Report
Published Oct. 21, 2009
South Carolina’s unemployment rate increased to 11.6% in September from a revised rate of 11.4% in August, the State Employment Security Commission reported today.
September’s increase came after two straight months of declines.
“Job growth in our state continues to struggle to keep up with job losses. As a result, the unemployment rate will remain high for the foreseeable future,” said Roosevelt T. Halley, Executive Director of the Commission.
Lexington County continues to lead with the lowest unemployment rate of 8.3%, up 0.2% from 8.1% in August. Richland County’s rate dropped 0.1% to 9.5% from 9.6%. Allendale has the state’s highest unemployment with 22.5% up 0.8% from 21.7% in August.
The state’s labor force dropped 2,851 in September to 2.17 million, while the number of unemployed increased 3,570 to 251,975. The state’s labor force reached its lowest level since September 2008. The national unemployment rate was 9.8% in September, up from 9.7% in August.
The state’s job count increased by 2,500 in September with most of the increases occurring in government, up 17,200, as state and local schools entered the first full month of the new school year. Other industries reporting gains were professional and business services, up 1,500; health care and social assistance, up 1,200; and wholesale trade, up 1,600.
Partially offsetting the gains were losses in leisure and hospitality, 11,100; construction, 1,800; retail trade, 1,100; and manufacturing, 600. The state’s overall job count was 68,700 below the year-ago level and nearly 98,000 below the December 2007 level when the current recession began.
Unemployment rates
Lowcountry
Charleston 9%
Dorchester 10.3%
Berkeley 10.7%
Midlands
Lexington 8.3%
Saluda 9.4%
Richland 9.5%
Kershaw 10.4%
Newberry 11.7%
Fairfield 12.9%
Sumter 13.9%
Calhoun 14.4%
Orangeburg 18.7%
Upstate
Greenville 10.2%
Spartanburg 12.2%
Anderson 12.9%
Print