SC Employment increases to Record Level in April

South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped in April to 4.3% from 4.4% in March, while the number of people working in the state marked another record high. The number of employed people increased by 3,978 to 2,233,160. The number of unemployed people dropped 2,126 in April to 101,513, and the state’s labor force increased by 1,852 to a total of 2,334,673. In the last 12 months, the labor force has grown by 37,733 people, and employment gains totaled 55,856. The level of unemployment decreased by 18,123. “I continue to be encouraged and optimistic for the future of South Carolina. We have more people working now than any time in our state’s history. More and more people are feeling confident about the economy and are entering the workforce to take advantage of the opportunities available to them as businesses expand and grow here,” said Cheryl Stanton, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. “But we have more work to do in helping to match the unemployed with the job openings across the state.” Nationally, the unemployment rate edged lower to 4.4% in April from 4.5% in March.