Tri-County Upstate reports slight drop in Unemployment

The tri-county of Upstate South Carolina experienced a slight drop in unemployment to end 2014. According to the latest figures from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, Oconee County’s jobless rate fell to 6.2% in December, which is down from 6.4% in November of 2014. The state agency lists 2,000 people, out of Oconee County’s labor force of 32,000, looking for work. Anderson County reported 5.4% unemployment in December of 2014, also down from November’s 5.6%. Pickens County experienced 5.3% unemployment in December compared to 5.6% in November. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 6.5% in December from November’s rate of 6.7%. The estimated number of South Carolina residents working rose by 7,243 people to set a new record of 2,058,657. Nationally, the December unemployment rate declined to 5.6% from November’s rate of 5.8%. South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce executive director Cheryl Stanton said of the December 2014 employment situation, “We have a record high number of South Carolinians working, a record high labor force and record high number of jobs in the Palmetto State. Now we need to focus on Succeed South Carolina, Governor Haley’s recently-announced initiative that will prepare South Carolina workers for high-demand jobs and match job seekers with the more than 60,000 currently open jobs.”