No more weekly federal help in South Carolina, Federal Unemployment Benefits to end this weekend

Charleston, South Carolina – South Carolina will officially opt out of all Federal Unemployment Benefits this weekend as previously announced by the state officials. Saturday will be the last day to claim the benefits and starting Sunday the state returns to pre-pandemic unemployment operations. South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce informs that those who are still unemployed will no longer receive the $300 weekly add-on benefit.

Those unemployed who are eligible to move from federal to state programs, will be notified by the officials for their next steps.

According to the latest data, last month unemployment rate was 4.6%. In May 2020, the unemployment rate was 11.5%, while just two months before the pandemic the rate was 2.6%. South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce Chief of Staff Jamie Suber says jobs are posted right now than they’ve seen since 2015.

“The demand for labor, the demand for you, is high right now. Let’s take advantage of that need,” Suber said. “In addition, unemployment can only provide a partial wage replacement. A job can provide a lot more than that. Financial stability, and in many cases, medical benefits and retirement options.”

Since the payments are done one week back, those who are still unemployed this week will have to certify their claim next week. Jamie Suber also added that these people will have to complete their tow weekly work searches through SC Works.

Officials believe that opting out of the federal weekly benefits will somehow manage to solve the labor shortage issue as businesses are still struggling to find workers to be fully operational.