The Official Web Site of the State of South Carolina

DEW and SC Works offices will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 in observance of Thanksgiving. All offices will reopen on Monday, December 2, and we will be happy to serve you then. Please note that unemployment payments may be delayed depending on your financial institution's holiday schedule.

South Carolina Employment Situation June 2020

Fri, 07/17/2020

I. Household Survey

Employment: The seasonally adjusted, monthly survey of households estimated the number of South Carolinians working increased to 2,222,144.

  • That is a significant increase of 105,714 people over May 2020.
  • That is also a significant decrease of 80,904 people over June 2019.

Unemployment: Unemployment estimates decreased significantly to 210,721 people.

  • That is a significant decrease of 88,947 people since May 2020 and a notable increase of 141,558 over June 2019.
  • The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased considerably to 8.7 percent in June from May’s revised estimate of 12.4 percent.

Nationally, the unemployment rate declined from 13.3 percent in May to 11.1 percent in June.

Labor force: The state’s estimated labor force (people working plus unemployed people looking for work) increased to 2,432,865.

  • That is an increase of 16,767 people over May 2020.
  • That is a significant increase of 60,654 individuals over June 2019.

Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted (3))

The Current Employment Survey of businesses in South Carolina marked an increase of 72,500 nonfarm payroll jobs over the month to a level of 2,059,400.

  • Industries reporting gains were Leisure and Hospitality (+29,600); Professional and Business Services (+13,700); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+11,900); Education and Health Services (+6,400); Other Services (+6,200); Manufacturing (+2,600); Construction (+1,400); Financial Activities (+800); and Government (+200).
  • Decreases were noticed in the Information (-200) industry.

From June 2019 to June 2020, South Carolina’s economy has lost 126,100 seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs.

  • Industries that reported gains over the year were Construction (+1,800) and Other Services (+900).
  • Decreases were reported in Leisure and Hospitality (-62,500); Professional and Business Services (-16,200); Government (-14,800); Education and Health Services (-13,600); Manufacturing (-11,000); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-7,400); Financial Activities (-1,700); and Information (-1,300).

Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted (2))

Not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 74,700 from May 2020 to June 2020 for a total of 2,077,400.

  • Industries reporting growth during this period were Leisure and Hospitality (+36,300); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+13,000); Professional and Business Services (+12,500); Other Services (+6,600); Education and Health Services (+3,800); Construction (+2,600); Manufacturing (+2,500); and Financial Activities (+2,000).
  • Industries reporting declines were Government (-4,500), and Mining and Logging (-100).
  • Information remained flat

Since June 2019, not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were down 125,500 overall in South Carolina.

  • Industries showing annual gains were Construction (+2,300) and Other Services (+1,200).
  • Industries recording an over the year loss are Leisure and Hospitality (-60,900); Education and Health Services (-15,200); Professional and Business Services (-14,900); Government (-14,300); Manufacturing (-12,000); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-8,200); Financial Activities (-1,700); Information (-1,500); and Mining and Logging (-300).

 

Key for Note items 1 through 4
Note Explanation
(1) Household Survey (Current Population Survey): is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This survey provides monthly statistics on employment, unemployment, and related subjects analyzed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(2) Current Employment Statistics Survey: is a monthly survey of about 40,000 employers which yields estimates of nonagricultural wage and salary employment, hours, and earnings by industry.
(3) Seasonally Adjusted: Seasonal adjustment removes the effects of events that follow a more or less regular pattern each year (i.e. tourist-related hiring and school closings in the summer). These adjustments make it easier to observe the cyclical and other nonseasonal movements in data over time.
(4) Not Seasonally Adjusted: Effects of regular or seasonal patterns have not been removed from these data

 

Nonfarm Employment by Industry, Seasonally Adjusted

Statewide

June 2020

        May to June 2020 May to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020
Area June 2020 May 2020 June 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Total Nonfarm Employment 2,059,400 1,986,900 2,185,500 72,500 3.65 -126,100 -5.77
Construction 108,300 106,900 106,500 1,400 1.31 1,800 1.69
Manufacturing 247,400 244,800 258,400 2,600 1.06 -11,000 -4.26
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 400,100 388,200 407,500 11,900 3.07 -7,400 -1.82
Information 26,300 26,500 27,600 -200 -0.75 -1,300 -4.71
Finance Activities 102,900 102,100 104,600 800 0.78 -1,700 -1.63
Professional and Business Services 281,900 268,200 298,100 13,700 5.11 -16,200 -5.43%
Education and Health Services 244,700 238,300 258,300 6,400 2.69 -13,600 -5.27
Leisure and Hospitality 206,300 176,700 268,800 29,600 16.75 -62,500 -23.25
Other Services 80,100 73,900 79,200 6,200 8.39 900 1.14
Government 357,200 357,000 372,000 200 0.06 -14,800 -3.98

 

Nonfarm Employment by Industry, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Statewide

June 2020

        May to June 2020 May to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020
Area June 2020 May 2020 June 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Total Nonfarm Employment 2,077,400 2,002,700 2,202,900 74,700 3.73 -125,500 -5.70
Mining and Logging 4,200 4,300 4,500 -100 -2.33 -300 -6.67
Construction 110,100 107,500 107,800 2,600 2.42 2,300 2.13
Manufacturing 247,400 244,900 259,400 2,500 1.02 -12,000 -4.63
Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 401,100 388,100 409,300 13,000 3.35 -8,200 -2.00
Information 26,400 26,400 27,900 0 0.00 -1,500 -5.38
Financial Activities 104,000 102,000 105,700 2,000 1.96 -1,700 -1.61
Professional and Business Services 283,500 271,000 298,400 12,500 4.61 -14,900 -4.99
Education and Health Services 242,000 238,200 257,200 3,800 1.60 -15,200 -5.91
Leisure and Hospitality 221,900 185,600 282,800 36,300 19.56 -60,900 -21.53
Other Services 81,100 74,500 79,900 6,600 8.86 1,200 1.50
Government 355,700 360,200 370,000 -4,500 -1.25 -14,300 -3.86

 

Nonfarm Employment by Area, Seasonally Adjusted

South Carolina & Metropolitan Seasonally Adjusted

June 2020

        May to June 2020 May to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020
Area June 2020 May 2020 June 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Statewide 2,059,400 1,986,900 2,185,500 72,500 3.65 -126,100 -5.77
Charleston/North Charleston MSA 344,900 332,900 375,400 12,000 3.60 -30,500 -8.12
Columbia MSA 378,500 376,300 403,700 2,200 0.58 -25,200 -6.24
Florence MSA 89,800 87,000 92,800 2,800 3.22 -3,000 -3.23
Greenville/Anderson/Mauldin MSA 407,800 394,700 432,000 13,100 3.32 -24,200 -5.60
Hilton Head-Bluffton-Beaufort MSA 79,800 75,400 83,800 4,400 5.84 -4,000 -4.77
Myrtle Beach MSA 155,100 144,400 174,000 10,700 7.41 -18,900 -10.86
Spartanburg MSA 152,400 147,900 163,500 4,500 3.04 -11,100 -6.79
Sumter MSA 38,200 37,600 39,800 600 1.60 -1,600 -4.02

Note: Employment estimates have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Sum of detail may not equal totals due to rounding or the exclusion of certain industries from publication. All data are subject to revision.

Nonfarm Employment by Area, Not Seasonally Adjusted

South Carolina & Metropolitan Not Seasonally Adjusted

June 2020

        May to June 2020 May to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020 June 2019 to June 2020
Area June 2020 May 2020 June 2019 # Change % Change # Change % Change
Statewide 2,077,400 2,002,700 2,202,900 74,700 3.73 -125,500 -5.70
Charleston/North Charleston MSA 348,400 334,800 378,700 13,600 4.06 -30,300 -8.00
Columbia MSA 379,000 378,300 402,800 700 0.19 -23,800 -5.91
Florence MSA 90,000 87,700 93,100 2,300 2.62 -3,100 -3.33
Greenville MSA 409,200 396,800 433,600 12,400 3.13 -24,400 -5.63
Hilton Head-Bluffton-Beaufort MSA 82,400 76,800 86,100 5,600 7.29 -3,700 -4.30
Myrtle Beach MSA/Conway/N. Myrtle Beach MSA 165,300 150,200 184,400 15,100 10.05 -19,100 -10.36
Spartanburg MSA 152,400 148,400 163,300 4,000 2.70 -10,900 -6.67
Sumter MSA 38,300 37,800 39,900 500 1.32 -1,600 -4.01

Note: Employment estimates have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Sum of detail may not equal totals due to rounding or the exclusion of certain industries from publication. All data are subject to revision.

 

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

LOCAL AREA UNEMPLOYMENT ESTIMATES BY COUNTY, MSA, AND STATE

(NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED)

Area Rate Up/Rate Down/Same Labor Force June 2020 Employment June 2020 Unemployment Level June 2020 Unemployment Rate Labor Force May 2020 Employment     May 2020 Unemployment Level May 2020 Unemployment Rate Labor Force June 2019Employment     June 2019Unemployment Level     June 2019 Unemployment Rate
Marlboro County

Rate Down

9,911 8,523 1,388 14.0 9,803 8,119 1,684 17.2 9,197 8,750 447 4.9
Chester County Rate Down 14,138 12,281 1,857 13.1 13,889 11,672 2,217 16.0 13,560 12,934 626 4.6
Union County Rate Down 12,540 10,894 1,646 13.1 12,387 10,358 2,029 16.4 11,735 11,289 446 3.8
Orangeburg County Rate Down 37,214 32,722 4,492 12.1 36,659 31,414 5,245 14.3 35,014 33,310 1,704 4.9
Bamberg County Rate Down 5,162 4,543 619 12.0 5,087 4,418 669 13.2 4,972 4,653 319 6.4
Allendale County Rate Down 2,700 2,383 317 11.7 2,700 2,355 345 12.8 2,686 2,535 151 5.6
Horry County Rate Down 157,430 139,549 17,881 11.4 152,161 124,524 27,637 18.2 155,817 150,374 5,443 3.5
Cherokee County Rate Down 27,039 24,058 2,981 11.0 26,810 22,729 4,081 15.2 25,453 24,566 887 3.5
Williamsburg County Rate Down 12,654 11,279 1,375 10.9 12,406 10,828 1,578 12.7 12,264 11,674 590 4.8
Fairfield County Rate Down 9,959 8,891 1,068 10.7 10,069 8,738 1,331 13.2 9,629 9,180 449 4.7
Lancaster County Rate Down 42,601 38,102 4,499 10.6 41,686 36,124 5,562 13.3 41,636 40,139 1,497 3.6
Marion County Rate Down 13,633 12,188 1,445 10.6 13,096 11,541 1,555 11.9 13,208 12,619 589 4.5
Lee County Rate Down 6,912 6,208 704 10.2 6,902 6,046 856 12.4 6,607 6,319 288 4.4
Georgetown County Rate Down 27,324 24,570 2,754 10.1 26,825 23,221 3,604 13.4 26,658 25,673 985 3.7
Spartanburg County Rate Down 160,476 144,572 15,904 9.9 160,435 137,404 23,031 14.4 154,298 149,693 4,605 3.0
Laurens County Rate Down 31,733 28,648 3,085 9.7 31,781 27,258 4,523 14.2 30,490 29,497 993 3.3
York County Rate Down 144,273 130,424 13,849 9.6 140,737 123,159 17,578 12.5 141,589 137,287 4,302 3.0
Abbeville County Rate Down 10,440 9,448 992 9.5 10,345 8,911 1,434 13.9 10,100 9,727 373 3.7
Charleston County Rate Down 219,754 198,915 20,839 9.5 214,688 186,788 27,900 13.0 214,938 209,468 5,470 2.5
McCormick County Rate Down 3,479 3,154 325 9.3 3,389 2,999 390 11.5 3,427 3,321 106 3.1
Barnwell County Rate Down 8,239 7,491 748 9.1 8,080 7,198 882 10.9 8,319 7,937 382 4.6
Darlington County Rate Down 32,444 29,480 2,964 9.1 31,763 28,410 3,353 10.6 30,849 29,652 1,197 3.9
Clarendon County Rate Down 13,147 11,958 1,189 9.0 13,082 11,610 1,472 11.3 12,874 12,322 552 4.3
Greenwood County Rate Down 32,436 29,527 2,909 9.0 31,542 27,992 3,550 11.3 31,488 30,385 1,103 3.5
Calhoun County Rate Down 6,731 6,146 585 8.7 6,756 6,067 689 10.2 6,623 6,362 261 3.9
Dorchester County Rate Down 80,361 73,367 6,994 8.7 77,815 68,861 8,954 11.5 79,315 77,133 2,182 2.8
Anderson County Rate Down 95,081 86,941 8,140 8.6 93,939 82,416 11,523 12.3 92,161 89,343 2,818 3.1
Chesterfield County Rate Down 22,813 20,846 1,967 8.6 22,280 19,989 2,291 10.3 22,266 21,562 704 3.2
Richland County Rate Down 205,581 187,839 17,742 8.6 203,326 182,769 20,557 10.1 199,511 193,156 6,355 3.2
Sumter County Rate Down 45,883 41,978 3,905 8.5 45,545 40,519 5,026 11.0 44,112 42,449 1,663 3.8
Greenville County Rate Down 265,940 243,716 22,224 8.4 262,634 230,762 31,872 12.1 257,323 250,340 6,983 2.7
Berkeley County Rate Down 106,504 97,661 8,843 8.3 102,870 91,578 11,292 11.0 105,576 102,625 2,951 2.8
Colleton County Rate Down 17,353 15,924 1,429 8.2 16,751 15,143 1,608 9.6 17,030 16,432 598 3.5
Dillon County Rate Down 13,523 12,457 1,066 7.9 13,341 12,095 1,246 9.3 13,136 12,590 546 4.2
Pickens County Rate Down 59,299 54,717 4,582 7.7 58,140 51,798 6,342 10.9 58,131 56,250 1,881 3.2
Florence County Rate Down 70,743 65,356 5,387 7.6 68,652 62,422 6,230 9.1 67,867 65,673 2,194 3.2
Kershaw County Rate Down 29,726 27,502 5,387 7.5 29,878 27,006 2,872 9.6 29,367 28,391 976 3.3
Oconee County Rate Down 36,246 33,515 2,731 7.5 35,918 31,927 3,991 11.1 35,304 34,181 1,123 3.2
Beaufort County Rate Down 82,372 76,246 6,126 7.4 78,794 69,950 8,844 11.2 79,798 77,422 2,376 3.0
Jasper County Rate Down 13,349 12,373 976 7.3 12,640 11,422 1,218 9.6 13,054 12,672 382 2.9
Hampton County Rate Down 8,643 8,024 619 7.2 8,360 7,726 634 7.6 8,496 8,219 277 3.3
Edgefield County Rate Down 10,887 10,115 772 7.1 11,064 9,936 1,128 10.2 10,798 10,459 339 3.1
Aiken County Rate Down 76,324 70,996 5,328 7.0 76,489 68,826 7,663 10.0 75,459 72,971 2,488 3.3
Newberry County Rate Down 19,178 17,899 1,279 6.7 19,185 17,551 1,634 8.5 19,296 18,740 556 2.9
Lexington County Rate Down 151,999 142,123 9,876 6.5 151,165 138,974 12,191 8.1 150,546 146,559 3,987 2.6
Saluda County Rate Down 8,820 8,272 548 6.2 9,105 8,449 656 7.2 8,922 8,655 267 3.0
Charleston -
North Charleston MSA
Rate Down 406,619 369,943 36,676 9.0 395,373 347,227 48,146 12.2 399,829 389,226 10,603 2.7
Columbia MSA Rate Down 412,816 380,773 32,043 7.8 410,299 372,003 38,296 9.3 404,598 392,303 12,295 3.0
Florence MSA Rate Down 103,187 94,836 8,351 8.1 100,415 90,832 9,583 9.5 98,716 95,325 3,391 3.4
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin MSA Rate Down 452,053 414,022 38,031 8.4 446,494 392,234 54,260 12.2 438,105 425,430 12,675 2.9
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED South Carolina Rate Down 2,432,865 2,222,144 210,721 8.7 2,416,098 2,116,430 299,668 12.4 2,372,211 2,303,048 69,163 2.9

Current month's estimates are preliminary. All data are subject to revision.