State’s employers reported 189,000 job openings in March

Columbia, S.C. – On Wednesday, May 17, 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released state-level Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data for March 2023. Overall, labor market conditions in South Carolina are broadly consistent with recent trends, including high rates of openings, hires, and quits and low rates of layoffs. Openings and layoffs ticked up modestly, whereas hires and quits fell slightly.

Note: Numbers are seasonally adjusted.

“What we are seeing here are numbers consistent with an economy that is experiencing near-record low unemployment,” said Dr. Bryan Grady, Assistant Executive Director for Labor Market Information (LMI) at the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW). “People looking for a new job or considering entering the workforce have many opportunities available. Conversely, we are diligently working with businesses across South Carolina to ensure that they have the workers they need to grow and prosper.”

“Consistency in the job market is a good thing and reflects South Carolina’s stable, robust economy,” stated DEW Executive Director William Floyd. “Aside from the JOLTS data, there are several other sources of employment and unemployment statistics that illustrate the strength of our workforce, including BLS’ monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) and Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) results. DEW will publish the April 2023 CES and LAUS data in tomorrow’s Employment Situation press release, along with my commentary on the new month’s numbers. Our agency will always prioritize sharing labor market information in a transparent and accessible manner for the public to understand.”

Please email communications@dew.sc.gov with press inquiries or interview requests for the LMI Division. DEW also has an agency dashboard that provides easily accessible economic and workforce data, and the LMI website at scworkforceinfo.com has been updated to improve the user experience and includes links to our monthly Trends newsletter and many other resources.