Unemployment rises at Local and State Levels

Discouraging news to report on the employment front, the local and state jobless rates increased in June.  The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce reports that Oconee County’s jobless figure rose 1% from 8.3% in May to 9.3% in June.  Oconee County’s labor force of 32,089 currently has 2,994 citizens looking for work.  Pickens County lists the June unemployment rate at 7.9%, which is an increase of 1.3% from May’s 6.6% rate.  Anderson County jobless figure rose 1% from 7.2% in May to 8.2% in June.  The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce reports the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly to 8.1% in June, up from 8% in May. In June, the number of unemployed people in the Palmetto State rose by 1,904 for a total of 174,423, and the number of those who are employed decreased by 4,767 bringing the level of employed South Carolinians to 1,991,908. Overall, the labor force declined by 2,863 making 2,166,331 persons in South Carolina who are either working or searching for work. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained at 7.6%.