South Carolina’s unemployment rate was down slightly in September to 7.3 percent, which is down from a 15-year-high in August of 7.6 percent. But the state Employment Security Commission says the drop doesn’t seem to be because more people have found work. Labor market analyst Sam McClary says a lot of those who are unemployed have stopped looking for jobs, so they’re no longer counted as unemployed.
“People get discouraged looking for work, so they drop out of the labor force because they feel like no jobs are available," he said.
Linda Stearns of Columbia hasn’t given up yet, but she’s been looking for a job since July. "I've never had so much trouble finding a job,” she said. “Usually I don't leave a job unless I've got another job, you know, with a better opportunity and more money and so forth and so on. It is really tough right now."
The number of jobs in South Carolina fell 14,400 over the month, the largest September decrease on record. All major industry sectors lost jobs except Education and Health services, which gained 2,100 jobs, and government, which gained 4,900. The Employment Security Commission says the gains were the result of state, local and private schools re-staffing for the start of school in the fall.
McClary says those who are looking for work should come to any of the Employment Security Commission’s OneStop offices. “We have a clearinghouse of jobs here. If there are jobs available, then more than likely they're going to be listed with our Workforce Centers. And the people here are experienced in helping people match up with jobs."
Lucas says workers whose jobs were eliminated might also consider getting new training or additional education. "There's programs out there such as the Workforce Investment Act, a dislocated worker program that can actually assist with tuition, possibly in the state, to help somebody re-tool for a new job," he says.
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