Palmetto State is seeing strong recovery in 2021, unemployment rate drops again in September, report

While we are still in the middle of the pandemic, the unemployment rate continues to go down in South Carolina, South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) says.

According to them, September has been the ninth month in a row with a decreasing unemployment rate and DEW looks forward this trend to continues in the upcoming period as we are getting closer to the holiday season.

The rate slipped from 4.2 percent in August to 4.1 percent in September.

When it comes to the nominal numbers, there are 7,746 less unemployed South Carolinians in September 2021 compared to February 2020, a month before the start of the pandemic.

That means that South Carolina now has better unemployment rate compared to the pre-pandemic period.

“As we celebrate another month of progress, this is also an important time to focus on the continued need for workforce,” said DEW Executive Director Dan Ellzey.

“There are more than 107,000 open positions posted on the SC Works Online System (SCWOS) website. This includes more than 15,000 available jobs in the healthcare industry, more than 10,000 in retail trade, and more than 6,000 in industries such as accommodation and food services, educational services, and manufacturing,” Ellzey added.

As we approach the holiday season and many companies are in need of additional workforce, this trend is expected to continue resulting with even additional unemployment rate decrease.

For the most recent data from DEW, visit the department’s website.