Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey’s Statement

October 2019 Employment Situation

The news is astounding. An unemployment rate of 2.6 percent. More than 58,000 new jobs created in 2019. More than 12,000 people removed from the unemployed ranks during this year. This is the best news that employees could possibly get. For employers, the news is split. The incredibly low unemployment rate will make it more difficult to find employees. On the other hand, our agency’s announcement of a 34 percent tax rate cut for unemployment insurance will save South Carolina businesses approximately $68 million,” said Dan Ellzey, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. “To help employers find employees, our agency is actively working to identify and train employees to fill the open positions. Whether it is ‘smart training,’ flexible shift options or other innovative approaches toward finding employees, we are working hard on the issue and we invite business to bring us their challenges. We will build a tailored program to find and prepare jobseekers for their work.

About the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce is putting South Carolinians to work. The agency has four missions: (1) workforce development; (2) free job match employment services; (3) unemployment insurance; and (4) labor market information. All four missions contribute to workforce development. The agency is dedicated to advancing South Carolina through services and programs that meet the needs of our businesses, jobseekers and those looking to advance their careers.