South Carolina has seen big job gains year-over-year so far.
South Carolina has gained 72,200 jobs year-over-year as of May, new state workforce data shows.
The state reported that 2,322,089 people were employed in May, a 3.2% increase over the same month last year, according to the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. The department referred to the increase as significant in a Friday press release.
The 72,200 workers are all in seasonally adjusted, non-farm jobs.
Industries that have had strong year-over-year growth include:
Leisure and Hospitality (+22,600)Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+18,500) Manufacturing (+11,500) Financial Activities (+6,700) Professional and Business Services (+4,700) Other Services (+4,300) Information (+2,200) Government (+1,600)Construction (+400)
In contrast, South Carolina’s unemployment rate remained relatively flat at 3.3% year-over-year through May.
“The state’s labor force is up again to 2,401,251, and the labor force participation rate is up to 57.5%. This is ahead of February 2020’s pre-pandemic rate of 57.4%,” S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey said in a Friday press release.
Ellzey noted that manufacturing jobs are among the best in the state and that residents should consider them if they can.
“Weekly wages in manufacturing have grown by 16.7% in the last two years and jobs in the industry are up by more than 4,000 since January of this year,” Ellzey said. “If jobseekers are looking for employment that spans different specialties, supports career paths and job growth, and has flexibility for workers to learn skills, manufacturing is a great fit.”
To see a list of current job openings on SC Works Online Services, click here.
Patrick McCreless is the service journalism editor for The State, where he and a team of reporters write about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.
