Daniel Prince
0.5% drop attributed to decline in labor force
The August unemployment figures have been released by the SC Department of Employment and Workforce. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly from 4.3 to 4.2%. The national rate dropped from 5.4 to 5.2%. Union County saw a significant drop in the unemployment rate, falling from 7% in July to 6.5% in August. That is due to a decline in the overall labor force, which fell by 111 people. There were 52 fewer people working in August than in July. Last August, the unemployment rate stood at 8%. There are 84 more people in the labor force now than then, and 251 more people are working now than last August. The county has the 8th-highest unemployment rate in the state. Bamberg County, at 8.3%, has the highest unemployment rate in the state, while Saluda and Lexington counties have the lowest, at 3.3%.