WASHINGTON: The April employment picture in the Anderson area remained among the brightest in South Carolina. Unemployment rates in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties are among the state’s 15 lowest, according to figures released by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.
Anderson County ended the month with a 4.7-percent unemployment rate, down from 5.2 percent a month earlier and well below the 5.3 percent rate of a year earlier. Only six of the state’s 46 counties — Lexington (4.3 percent), Charleston (4.3), Greenville (4.4), Newberry (4.6) and Jasper (4.6) — ended the month with a lower rate.
The number of Anderson county job-seekers fell by 364 workers in the month, dropping in the process from 4,626 in March to 4,262 in April. Oconee County’s total of job-seekers dropped from 2,036 in March to 1,847 in April, helping the Oconee unemployment rate dive from 5.8 percent to 5.2 percent, the state’s 15th-lowest. Like Anderson County, Pickens County experienced a slight drop in the number of employed during the month. But with 273 fewer names on the unemployed list, the county’s rate fell from 5.6 percent to 5.2 percent.
Statewide, the number of people working in South Carolina climbed by 7,268 during the month to a record 2,181,923. During the month, the number of people in the labor force rose by 10,245, raising the total to 2,316,224 potential workers. The increase pushed the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate up from 5.7 percent in March to 5.8 percent in April. Over the month, unemployment rose by 2,977 to 134,301. “It is encouraging to see the large number of people entering the labor force — and finding work,” said Cheryl Stanton, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce said in a release.
“More people are working then ever in our state’s history. South Carolinians are able to take advantage of our robust economy to find a job that allows them to provide for themselves,” she said. “This bodes well for our future as businesses know that South Carolina is building a pipeline of skilled workers who are prepared to do the job.” Since April 2015, the state has added 72,447 workers, and the level of the unemployed has decreased by 6,634. In the last year, the labor force has grown 65,813 people.
Jobs in the financial sector (1,900) and manufacturing (1,600) showed the biggest gains during the month. Leisure/hospitality added 1,200 jobs, and professional/business services added an estimated 1,000 jobs. Compared to April 2015, seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs were up 53,200. Nationally, April’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.0 percent.
