South Carolina’s Employment Situation September 2017

Employment Marks New Record

The number of people working in South Carolina set a new record in September, and unemployment reached its lowest level since February 2001, as the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September 2017 dropped to 3.9 percent from 4 percent in August.

The over-the-month change in the number of individuals working across the state increased by 6,910 to 2,232,795. The number of people unemployed declined 1,641 to 91,428, while the state’s labor force increased 5,269 to 2,324,223 people.

Since September 2016, the labor force has grown by 26,586 with employment gains of 39,183. The level of unemployed decreased 12,597.

Nationally, the unemployment rate decreased from 4.4 percent in August to 4.2 percent in September.

Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted1)

September 2017 seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment declined by 4,500 over the month to a level of 2,091,400.

The state’s job count rose in Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+4,300); Construction (+2,300); Manufacturing (+1,300); and Education and Health Services (+500). Information remained steady.

Industries recording job losses were Professional and Business Services (-4,300); Leisure and Hospitality (-3,200); Other Services (-2,600); Government (-2,200); and Financial Activities (-500).

From September 2016 to September 2017, South Carolina’s economy added 28,100 seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs.

Industries with gains were Manufacturing (+9,900); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+7,200); Education and Health Services (+6,000); Professional and Business Services (+5,400); Government (+4,800); Construction (+1,200); and Financial Activities (+100).

Declines were reported in the Leisure and Hospitality (-3,200); Other Services (-2,700); and Information (-700) sectors.

Nonfarm Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted2)

Not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 1,700 from August 2017 to September 2017 for a total of 2,093,500. Compared to other industries, Government (+11,100) added the most jobs during the month of September.

• Over the month, additional increases in jobs came from Education and Health Services (+1,700); Manufacturing (+1,200); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+1,100); and Construction (+400). Declines were reported in Leisure and Hospitality (-11,700); Professional and Business Services (-2,300); Other Services (-1,500); Financial Activities (-1,200); Information (-400); and Mining and Logging (-100).

  Since September 2016, not seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs were up 27,800 overall in South Carolina.

• Industries marking annual gains were Manufacturing (+10,000); Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+7,300); Professional and Business Services (+6,300); Education and Health Services (+4,300); Government (+3,900); Financial Activities (+700); and Mining and Logging (+100).
• Decreases occurred in Leisure and Hospitality (-2,100); Other Services (-1,700); Information     (-700); and Construction (-300).

1Seasonally 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.

2Not Seasonally Adjusted: Effects of regular or seasonal patterns have not been removed from these data.