Job Quits Near Record Highs While Openings and Hires Continue to Outpace

An estimated 82,000 South Carolinians (1 in 27 workers) left their jobs in June 2022

Columbia, S.C. – On Wednesday, August 17, 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state-level data for June 2022. This is an essential resource for understanding the internal dynamics of South Carolina’s labor force. These figures show yet another month of a hot job market in which employers are eager to hire and workers are considering multiple options. Seasonally adjusted data are shown in the table below, with month-over-month and year-over-year comparisons included for reference.

“June’s reading of 82,000 quits is tied for the second highest on record,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) Labor Market Information (LMI) Director Dr. Bryan Grady. “At least 80,000 people have left their job every month in 2022, a figure we had only seen once before. While the number of hires and job openings are slightly down, it is important to note that these changes are not statistically significant and both hires and job openings continue to greatly exceed the number of quits.”

“As seen in last week’s Employment Situation, South Carolina’s job market continues to be supportive of a dynamic, growing economy,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey. “September is Workforce Development Month, and it will be packed with job fairs, training workshops, networking opportunities, and more. Workforce Development Month is the ideal time for jobseekers to work with our agency and take advantage of many of the services offered at SC Works Centers across the state to improve their careers and connect them with the right employers. Individuals can learn more by visiting our Workforce Development Month page for all future updates and to find hiring events in their local areas.”

For more information, please review the included table or contact communications@dew.sc.gov with any press inquiries or interview requests for the LMI Division. Also, DEW offers a monthly publication, Trends, which provides additional LMI data. Interested parties can sign up to receive Trends in their inbox here.