Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey’s Statement

September 2020 Employment Situation

“September’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.1 percent is an impressive decline from last month’s revised estimate of 6.4 percent. However, what our agency is hearing from the business community is the urgent need for workers. While we know a lot of businesses suffered layoffs during the pandemic, industries have ramped back up and several are experiencing a boom,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director, Dan Ellzey.

“People who are looking for employment are finding work. And now is the time to secure one of these in-demand jobs because South Carolina needs people in the workforce. If individuals have stopped looking for work because they believe businesses are closed or not hiring, let me assure you that is not the case. We are working with employers all over the state who need employees now more than ever,” continued Ellzey.

“We see this demand demonstrated each week in the open air and drive thru job fairs that are being held statewide. Earlier this month, 46 jobseekers were hired on the spot after interviewing at one job fair in the PeeDee region,” continued Ellzey.

“We urge anyone who is without work to go to jobs.scworks.org, where they can search through tens of thousands of jobs or visit scworks.org to find an SC Works center near them to explore the resources available in their local area. The SC Works consultants have relationships with employers and are tapped into the labor market. They can help individuals rewrite a resume, practice for interviews, search for jobs, prep for work – the whole deal! It’s really quite impressive, and it’s all free to jobseekers,” said Ellzey.

“Research has shown that individuals who stayed employed – even if the job was in a different field or industry – were able to transition more successfully as the economy rebounded than people who had employment gaps. While we celebrate those who found stable employment last month, there is still work to be done,” concluded Ellzey.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE: For a better understanding of how the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics utilizes trained Census Bureau employees to capture critical labor force data each month, you can read the full PDF explanation here: https://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.pdf.

About the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce is putting South Carolinians to work. The agency has four missions: (1) workforce development; (2) free job match employment services; (3) unemployment insurance; and (4) labor market information. All four missions contribute to workforce development. The agency is dedicated to advancing South Carolina through services and programs that meet the needs of our businesses, jobseekers and those looking to advance their careers