In July, South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.7 percent
from 5.3 percent in June, marking a shift upward after little change during the second quarter of the year.
Anderson County’s unemployment rate reflected the statewide trend, rising from 5.2 percent in June to 5.7 percent in July. While Anderson remains among the counties with the lowest reported unemployment numbers, 5,010 citizens were listed as unemployed in July.
Every county in the state reported increases in their jobless rate in July.
The number of unemployed persons grew by 9,124 to 124,670. Working South Carolinians dropped by 6,442 people to 2,043,602. From June to July, the labor force noted an increase of 2,682 to a level of 2,168,272.
Since July 2013, about 28,740 people have found work, and the labor force decreased by 15,142. Additionally, over the year, the state’s unemployment rate has declined by approximately 2 percentage points. Nationally, the unemployment rate increased to 6.2 percent in July from 6.1 percent in June.
The jump in South Carolina was among the largest month-to-month increases in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Two other states - Georgia and Wyoming also - had jobless rate increases of four-tenths of a percentage point. Tennessee's rate went up by half a percentage point, BLS officials said.
Monthly unemployment went up in 30 states, according to federal officials. National unemployment went up slightly in July, from 6.1 percent to 6.2 percent.