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

Columbia, SC – “For the fourth month we are experiencing an incremental decline in the state’s unemployment rate. With a rate of 5.0% in April, South Carolina’s unemployment rate has now moved down each month from 5.3% in January to 5.2% in February and then 5.1% in March,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director, Dan Ellzey.

“While this is certainly good news, we are fully aware of the fact that there are currently 82,000 jobs posted and available in the state of South Carolina. And, we are fully aware of the hardship it is causing South Carolina employers to operate without the employees they need. As a result, we have begun a number of programs to refer unemployment recipients to employers who are working with us. These referrals are mandatory and claimants are required to participate to maintain their benefits. Rest assured that we are only referring claimants to the types of jobs with which they have experience in their background,” stated Ellzey.

“With the directive received from Gov. McMaster, we now know that all federal extension programs will expire in South Carolina on June 26, 2021. Now is the time to act, before the end of the federal programs which will likely begin a rush for the open positions,” continued Ellzey.

“Most claimants are completing their work search each week. However, there are still a large number of individuals who do not do the work searches and disqualify themselves from benefits for that week. Completing two weekly work searches in the SC Works Online Services (SCWOS) system is not only required to remain eligible for unemployment benefits, but it is also a vital practice to understand the local job market. The number of job postings is higher than it has been since June of 2015. The demand for labor is intense. Employers are eager to find their workforce and, in many cases, can provide what unemployment benefits never could, critical medical benefits, 401K and retirement opportunities, and long-term security,” stated Ellzey.

“We encourage claimants to apply quickly to some of the 82,000 jobs currently available in SCWOS or explore local employers who may not advertise their jobs online. The SC Works centers statewide are here to help with services such as resume refresh, mock interviews or training opportunities. All free of charge. We don’t want people to be caught off guard when these benefits stop in June, so please reach out for help if you need it,” concluded Ellzey.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

1. 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.
2. Work search resources can be found on dew.sc.gov as well as the SC DEW YouTube page. Please find links to some of these resources below.

SC DEW YouTube Video: Click link for How to register for SC Works Online Service (SCWOS)                                       

PDF Tutorial: How To Complete The Work Search: Click here for document or follow path on the website: dew.sc.gov -> Individuals Menu -> Find a Job -> Click “SCWOS Weekly Job Searches PDF Tutorial”