The South Carolina unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in June, up slightly from the 8 percent in May, officials reported Thursday. Anderson County unemployment jumped from 7.2 to 8.2 percent.
In June, the number of unemployed people rose by 1,904 for a total of 174,423, and the
number of those who are employed decreased by 4,767. That brings the level of employed in South Carolina to 1,991,908, according to the state Department of Employment and Workforce.
Nationally, the unemployment rate remained at 7.6 percent.
Economists have warned that jobless rates could grow in May and June in-part because of high school and college graduates entering the labor market.
Nearly all of South Carolina’s 46 counties reported increased unemployment rates for June. County-level numbers aren’t adjusted seasonally, and agency data experts said those numbers likely went up because more people began looking for work.