Updated Federal Data Show Job Market Churn Not Subsiding Yet

Job hires, openings, and quits persist near record highs

Columbia, S.C. – On Wednesday, July 20, 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state-level data for both April and May 2022. These new figures indicate that the elevated turnover in the labor market seen since early 2021 shows little sign of slowing down in South Carolina. Both monthly data sets are below.

“The number of job openings in our state continues to remain near a record high as businesses hire new employees at an accelerated pace. Even as employees quit their jobs at elevated rates, they are overwhelmingly finding new jobs rather than dropping out of the labor force altogether,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce’s (DEW) Labor Market Information (LMI) Director Dr. Bryan Grady.

“As seen in the latest June 2022 Employment Situation published by our agency last week, our state’s job market continues to improve,” states S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey. “We will continue to connect employers and jobseekers together and provide them with the tools that they need to make our labor force grow and strengthen.”

For more information, please review the included table or contact communications@dew.sc.gov with any press inquiries or interview requests for the Labor Market Information Division. Also, DEW offers a monthly publication, Trends, which provides additional LMI data to the public.