There are 40,000+ employees across South Carolina more than two years ago, the unemployment rate steady at 3.5%

South Carolina – The unemployment rate in South Carolina is steady, sitting at 3.5% in February, according to the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

The data shows there is no change in the unemployment rate compared to a month ago, but things are expected to change as we slowly approach the summer season.

“While we have 46,353 more employees working in February 2022 than there were in February 2020, employer demand is still high,” SCDEW Executive Director Dan Ellzey said.

“We currently have more than 112,000 job postings in SC Works Online Services, which is approximately 41,000 more postings than there were prior to the pandemic.”

Compared to February 2020 when the pandemic started, the state’s labor force in February 2022 is up to 2.38 million which is nearly 62,000 more compared to two years ago.

But Ellzey said the state’s February 2022 labor participation rate of 57.2% is slightly lower than February 2020′s 57.4%.