Employment and Workforce Executive Director William Floyd’s Statement

December 2025 Employment Situation

Columbia, S.C. – Today’s publication of the December data is due to last year’s federal government shutdown, which delayed monthly employment reporting for the last four months of 2025. In February each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) conducts its annual revision of national estimates from the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) and the Current Employment Statistics (CES) monthly surveys. For that reason, numbers for January and February 2026 will also be delayed as BLS uses this benchmarking period to revise or adjust estimates. Some statistics may therefore be adjusted to reflect revised numbers once the process is completed, which is expected each year.

“December’s employment report shows that South Carolina’s labor market remains stable. Although the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 4.8 percent, this was primarily driven by an influx of new entrants to the labor force,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) Executive Director William Floyd.  “South Carolina’s labor force grew by 64,500 individuals over the past year, which can be attributed to the state’s population growth. The total labor force for December was estimated to be 2,614,214.”

“There has also been steady job growth across most industries in the state with the highest increases recorded in Accommodation and Food Services, Health Care and Social Assistance, and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services compared to twelve months ago. Overall, South Carolina continues to have a robust economy and a competitive talent pipeline,” continued Floyd. 

“2025 was a year of many exciting accomplishments at our agency, including major job fairs and the expansion of activities, having hosted over a thousand recruitment events across the state with almost 39,000 jobseekers in attendance. DEW’s SC@Work: Rural Connections team held 395 events and supported over 17,000 of our state’s most rural jobseekers by bringing career resources, the SC Works Career Coach, and employers directly to their communities,” said Floyd.

“In 2026, we will continue enhancing awareness of employment programs, including reemployment opportunities for unemployment insurance claimants, such as the Workforce Re-employment Assistance Program (WRAP) and Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) programs, which provide one-on-one job match support and personalized referrals with employers to help participants return to work quickly. For any jobseeker – regardless of age, experience, industry, or region – there is an SC Works program or service to take advantage of that can connect you with your next job. All you have to do is visit scworks.org and speak to a DEW representative, in person or virtually, to get started,” concluded Floyd.