Unemployment report shows change in all but one Pee Dee county

Marlboro County is the only county out of seven counties in the Pee Dee to show no change in unemployment rates, while the others have shown slight increases for June, according to the S.C. Employment Security Commission’s monthly report released Friday.

Marlboro County was ranked third in the state for unemployment in May, but now ties with Chester County for fifth in the state with a 10.8 percent unemployment rate for June.

Marion County had the state’s second highest unemployment rate behind Allendale County with 12.2 percent, a difference of 0.2 of a percentage point from its May rate.

Dillon and Williamsburg counties are tied for No. 12 in the state with a 9.7 percent unemployment rate. Dillon’s rate increased by 0.4 of a percentage point, while Williamsburg’s rate increased by 0.3 of a percentage point.

Chesterfield and Cherokee counties share the No. 17 spot with an unemployment rate of 8.3 percent. Chesterfield increased 0.7 of a percentage point from 7.6 percent in May.

The county with the highest percentage point increase was Darlington County, with 0.9 of a percentage point making its June rate 8.2 percent.

Florence County remains the county with the lowest unemployment rate in the Pee Dee at 6.7 percent. That rate increased 0.4 of a percentage point from May’s rate.

According to the commission’s report, the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.2 percent in June after reaching a year-to-date high of 6.5 percent in May.

The number of unemployed in the state declined 7,000 to 132,200 in June, while the national unemployment rate held steady at 5.5 percent in June. The state’s labor force decreased by 7,600 from its May level, totaling 2,143,200 in June.

“Despite the drop in the jobless rate, the South Carolina economy continues to struggle,” the report states. “With no end in sight to the housing slump and continuing increases in fuel prices, we can expect unemployment to remain at a high level for the foreseeable future.”

Sam McClary, a senior labor market analyst with the commission, said the state is “pretty much following the national trend.

“What (is necessary) to help South Carolina, (is necessary) to help the nation,” McClary said. “We need some solution to this housing crisis because construction has fallen for the eighth straight month. (And) the high gas prices are impacting so many areas.

“Even though we’re pleased with the decline in (the unemployment) rate, we still have the same problems that we’ve been dealing with,” he said.

The government and construction sectors have the majority of the state’s job losses, according to the report. Construction lost another 3,200 jobs in June as the nationwide housing crisis continues. Construction jobs are now nearing 11 percent below the year-ago level.

In the public sector, 3,500 jobs were cut in June as state and local schools released such non-teaching staff as janitors or cafeteria workers for the summer.

Non-farm jobs dropped 6,400 in June; professional and business services lost 1,700 jobs, mostly in temporary help businesses; retail trade was down 400 jobs; and manufacturing reported 200 fewer workers.

Despite the declines in the other sectors, leisure and hospitality sectors did see a modest increase of 1,700 jobs, and financial activities and other services each saw gains of 900.

The state’s job count, at 1,970,900, was 4,500 higher than June of last year.