Daniel Prince
Shrinking labor force was main contributor to the decrease
Unemployment numbers for December from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce are due out in the next week or so. The November numbers saw no change in the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, staying at 3.3%. The national rate similarly stayed unchanged, at 3.7%.
Every county in the state saw its non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decrease. Union County’s rate fell significantly, from 5.6% in October to 4.3% in November. The labor force saw a decline of 162 people. Only seven fewer people were employed in November than in October, causing the number of those unemployed to drop from 644 to 489.
Compared to last November, there are 74 fewer people in the labor force now, and 20 more people are working now than last year. The unemployment rate last November was 5.1% compared to 4.3% now. Despite the large drop, Union County still has the 8th-highest unemployment rate in the state and highest rate in the Upstate.