SC Works Online Services (SCWOS) is a service that compiles all of the state’s regional and local workforce services and resources. SCWOS brings employers and job seekers together using the wealth of information available in the workforce development database. 

Through the SCWOS system, businesses are able to post positions, search for candidates and review job market trends.

Starting April 18, 2021, the weekly job search requirement will be reinstated for claimants in South Carolina. Now is the time to post your open positions on SCWOS in order to gain the attention of eager, talented candidates. Visit SC Works to learn more about how staff can assist you in all of your business hiring needs.  

If you have not been active in SCWOS recently and need to unlock your account, you can view these instructions for assistance. Here is the information you will need:

1. Federal Employer Identification Number
2. Active UI Employer Account Number
   • This number can be obtained from your finance department, any correspondence from the SC Department of Employment and Workforce regarding Unemployment Insurance or by calling our Employer Services Phone Line at (866) 831-1724.
3. Type of Position(s) Currently Open for Recruitment
4. Is the applicant required to pay a fee to obtain the job?
5. How do you classify your employees?  Independent Contractors (1099) or Regular Employees (W2)? 
6. Contact Information
   • Name
   • Job Title
   • Phone number
   • E-mail address

Now is a great time to find your workforce!

Offers of Work & Recall Taskforce

While many South Carolinians will be relieved and excited to return to the security of long-term employment, there will be some who still have barriers, such as childcare, that will prevent them from immediately returning to work. There will also be those who prefer – for various reasons – to continue collecting unemployment insurance even though they could, and should, return to work.

To help employers navigate questions as they reengage their workforce, there are two programs they should be aware of: 

Offers of Work:  Individuals who have turned down offers of suitable work are not eligible to continue receiving UI benefits. If you have offered an individual a job and they refused, it is important for you to report the incident to DEW through your Employer Self Service Portal.

Disqualification may be imposed if DEW determines a written offer of suitable work was refused, regardless of whether it was sent to the claimant by registered mail, certified mail, U.S. Mail, email or text message. Whenever possible, employers should follow up with their employees via email, phone, or text to confirm the offer was actually received. Supporting documentation will help DEW make the right decision in reviewing these cases.

The Refusal of Job Offer Guide (PDF) provides screenshots and instructions to help you through the process.

Or you can submit an Offers of Work Form (UCB-261) to:

S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce
Attn: Offers of Work
P.O. Box 995
Columbia, SC 29202

 

Recall Taskforce: The Recall Taskforce was created to assist businesses that re-opened after a pandemic shutdown who are attempting to recall their former workers back to work. If a former worker refuses an offer of work, without good cause, the employer can report it to DEW. After review, the claimant can be found ineligible to continue to collect unemployment insurance. 

If 10 or more former employees refuse an offer of work, you can request a spreadsheet by emailing Recall_Taskforce@dew.sc.gov to complete a batch submission.

 

This process ensures that only eligible individuals receive UI benefits and helps minimize tax rates for all businesses.

Employee Training Programs

The Department of Employment and Workforce, through the local workforce areas, provides several training programs to help businesses find and retain good employees. Below are a few of the options available.

Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) helps you stay on the cutting edge and increase productivity and quality by providing employees with needed training in order for the business to remain competitive. IWT is a training resource to help businesses respond to changing skills requirements caused by new technology, re-tooling, new product lines or new organizational structuring. Contact your local workforce area for more details and funding availability.

On-The-Job Training (OJT) offers a solution for businesses that are challenged with hiring, promoting and retaining employees who lack the specialized knowledge to perform their jobs effectively. OJT provides wage/salary reimbursements of 50 percent to 90 percent to employers to compensate for costs associated with training new employees. SC Works Center staff works with you to determine needs and create a customized training plan for eligible employees. The percentage and length of reimbursement varies by the size of your company, specific skills to be acquired for the job and local workforce area. Contact your local workforce area for more details and funding availability.

Customized Training provides businesses with training resources that are designed to meet the specific requirements of the business. Training is conducted by the business itself or a training provider with a commitment by the business to employ/ continue to employ an individual upon successful completion of training. Training costs are reimbursed on a sliding scaled based on the company size, with the business providing a matching contribution of no more than 50 percent of the cost of the training. Contact your local workforce area for more information.

Registered Apprenticeship is a time-tested strategy for employee development that combines supervised on-the-job learning with job-related classroom education. It is an excellent training model for quickly getting new employees up to speed and maximizing the skills of the current workforce. Apprenticeship programs can be found in a variety of industries including advanced manufacturing, information technology, energy, tourism, transportation and logistics, as well as healthcare, just to name a few. Registered Apprenticeship provides employers with the unique opportunity to grow its own workforce. To find out more about Registered Apprenticeship, please call 803-896-5287 or visit Apprenticeship Carolina online.

Learn about our skill training initiatives.

Hiring New Workers

South Carolina New Hire Reporting Program

When you hire new employees, you must report those hires through the New Hire Reporting program. It is a database administered by the S.C. Department of Social Services (DSS) and used by DEW to identify individuals who are working and collecting UI benefits.

Reporting new hires helps keep the Unemployment Insurance tax costs low by ensuring that only eligible individuals receive UI benefits.

If an employer fails to report newly hired or rehired employees, penalty fines start at second offense. Penalties are enforced by DSS:

• $25 for the second offense and $25 for each offense thereafter; or
• $500 for each and every offense, if the failure to report is the result of a conspiracy between the employer and the employee not to supply the required information or to supply false or incomplete information.

E-Verify

South Carolina law requires all employers to verify new employees’ legal status and prohibits employment of any worker who is illegally in this country and not authorized to work.

Refusing an offer of employment

If an individual turns down an offers of work, you should report it to DEW as they may no longer qualify for UI benefits. Learn more by visiting Offers of Work above.

Hiring High-Risk Employees

Federal Bonding Program

Are you reluctant to hire difficult-to-bond individuals? The Federal Bonding program provides six months of fidelity bonding coverage in the amount of $5,000-$25,000 at no cost to the business or individual. This allows employers to expand their recruiting efforts, hire the desired talent and be protected against employee acts of dishonesty resulting in a monetary loss. 

If you are interested in bonding an applicant as a condition of their employment offer, please contact Amy Hill at FederalBonding@dew.sc.gov before the newly hired employee’s start date. A Federal Bonding staff member will contact you for the necessary information needed to prepare the paperwork. The request will then be submitted to the fidelity bonding insurance company.

Both the business and the newly hired employee must be registered in the SC Works Online Services (SCWOS) system to qualify for a “no cost” Federal Bond. Businesses and individuals can register for SCWOS online here. 

The bond will be sent directly to the business within 15 days after the insurance company receives the paperwork and will be retroactive to the start date. Bonds automatically terminate after six months, but the business may opt to renew the bond at their expense for a low premium. Current employees can only be bonded in an effort to avert a layoff or secure a promotion.

Click here to view the brochure for more information.

Job Profiling

Free job profiles are provided by the State Workforce Development Board and are available through the S.C. Work Ready Communities (SCWRC) initiative. By matching skills and skill levels needed for your company with a WorkKeys test score, SCWRC provides a pool of potential workers that are a good fit for the types of knowledge and soft skills required.

Job profiling is done through four tactical steps:

Develop task list – An ACT-authorized job profiler itemizes the job into tasks using national data, information from your business and an onsite tour. Analyze tasks – The profiler then meets with the job's subject matter experts to customize the task list. Each task is rated for importance so the task is prioritized. Analyze skills – The profiler then works with subject matter experts to link the job tasks to correlated WorkKeys skill and skill level.

Resources

To learn more about the job profiling service, contact bparks@dew.sc.gov.