Anderson County's unemployment rate rose to 4.2 percent in July, up from 4 percent in June and up from 3.3 percent in April. Of the county's workforce of 90,277, 86,482 were employed in the month, with 3,795 jobless.
South Carolina's statewide jobless rate remained unchanged for July, holding at 3.9 percent, even though no county posted a drop in unemployment, with the rate rising in most.
Anderson, along with Greenville, Spartanburg, Pickens, and several other counties in South Carolina, saw slight declines in labor force participation, number of persons employed, and number of persons unemployed.
“Anderson’s labor force activity mirrors the same trend we see throughout most of the rest of the state, so I think we are in a good, competitive position”, said Steve Newton, Anderson County’s Governmental Affairs Director. “Charleston, Horry, and other coastal counties saw increases in labor force and employment numbers due to the expected impacts of seasonal activity in those tourism destinations. The rest of the state seems to be following a typical summer pattern.”
The number of unemployed people edged lower by 141 to 91,486 statewide. The number of individuals working across the state fell by 2,217 to 2,228,354 people in July, resulting in the labor force decrease by 2,358 to 2,319,840 people.
Since July 2016, employment gains totaled 40,958, and the labor force has grown by 22,848 people. The level of unemployed people decreased by 18,110.
Nationally, the unemployment rate decreased from 4.4 percent in June to 4.3 percent in July.
Watch for update later today.