Daniel Prince
State's rate remains steady
Union County was the only county in the state to see its unemployment rate rise in the month of July. The non-seasonally adjusted numbers saw the labor force in Union shrink by 116 people, while the number of people employed dropped by 165, leaving 660 unemployed. The rate rose from 5.3% in June to 5.7% in July. Every county saw its labor force and number of workers drop, but they all had larger drop in the labor force, which led to a lower overall unemployment rate. Union County’s unemployment rate is the 5th-highest in the state. Marlboro County has the highest rate, at 7.2%, while Saluda and Lexington counties have the lowest, at 2.6%. The state’s overall seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed steady at 3.2% for July.
The SC Department of Employment and Workforce released data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on job openings and labor turnover. Preliminary figures from the month of June saw approximately 82,000 workers quit their jobs, the second-highest number on record. 80,000 or more have left their jobs each month this year. The job market remains hot, with around 167,000 job openings reported, along with 108,000 new hires in June.