Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey’s Statement
July 2021 Employment Situation

Columbia, SC – “There is great news to report this month. Total employment now tops the pre-pandemic level of February 2020. 2,299,509 individuals were working in the state of South Carolina in July. That is 10,217 more individuals working than in June of this year. It is also 168 more than in February of 2020. Consequently, the state’s unemployment rate dropped from 4.5% in June to 4.3% in July, well below the national unemployment rate of 5.4% and below the 5.0% benchmark that has historically been defined as ‘full employment.’ In fact, South Carolina has been at or under full employment for the last four months,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey.

“Employers are full speed ahead with recovery as well. Hiring has picked back up in the Leisure and Hospitality industry which was the hardest hit by the pandemic. Having experienced a 46% loss in jobs at the height of the pandemic, Leisure and Hospitality has rebounded and is now only 10% behind where they were in February of 2020,” continued Ellzey.

“Even with these exciting employment numbers, there are still tens of thousands of job opportunities for people still looking for work. Each week our agency sends emails and texts to claimants matching their skills and work experience with open positions for which they are qualified in their area. To demonstrate the demand in the business community, in July, our agency sent 495,141 job matching emails and 40,561 texts to those receiving unemployment insurance. In addition, job seekers who are not receiving benefits are encouraged to access the resources and services of their local SC Works center. Professionals in these centers can prepare individuals and connect them with local employers,” said Ellzey.

“South Carolina’s economy is surging. Businesses continue to actively hire to keep up with economic demand. Despite this improvement, employers still need workers. Employment opportunities are there for job seekers to find a job fast, change careers, advance a career, replace a lost job, find shift or part-time work, get on-the-job training or experience, and much more. Reemployment drives our recovery,” finished Ellzey.