SC unemployment rate jumps, Pee Dee rate mixed in October

SC unemployment rate jumps, Pee Dee rate mixed in October (Added: November 20, 2009)

The unemployment rate in South Carolina rose nearly half a percentage point in October, to 12.1 percent. Three of the 10 counties with the highest unemployment rates are located in the Pee Dee. (more)

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By: From staff, wire reports | Morning News
Published: November 20, 2009

COLUMBIA — The unemployment rate in South Carolina rose nearly half a percentage point in October to 12.1 percent.

HELP FOR PEE DEE, GRAND STRAND

News13, along with workers from the SC Employment Security Commission will host a helpline from 5:00-6:30 p.m. with experts taking calls and questions about finding a job. Numbers to call, are:

Grand Strand: 294-8432
Pee Dee: 317-1399

Three of the 10 counties with the highest unemployment rates are located in the Pee Dee.

Marlboro County ranked third on the list with an October unemployment rate of 21 percent, down from 21.1 percent in September.

Marion County followed closely at fourth with an unemployment rate of 20.7, down from 20.9 percent in September.

Dillon County ranked 10th with an unemployment rate of 17.7 percent, up from 17.4 percent in September.

Rounding out Pee Dee and Grand Strand Counties were:

No. 11 Chesterfield County at 17.4 percent, down from 17.7 in September
No. 17 Williamsburg County at 16 percent, up from 15.2 percent in September
No. 25 (tie) Darlington County at 13 percent, up from 12.8 percent in September
No. 25 (tie) Georgetown County at 13 percent, up from 12.3 percent in September
No. 29 Horry County at 12.2 percent, up from 10.9 percent in September
No. 30 (tie) Florence County at 12.1 percent, up from 11.5 percent in September

Connie Ford, area director for the S.C. Employment Security Commission in Florence, said she’s seen no drastic change in the Pee Dee in the last month.

“Our traffic has been pretty steady, but we haven’t seen a big additional rush of people,” Ford said. “And we have seen some positives in this area, as well — the opening of the new Monster facility, a new industry in Lake City, a new industry in Marion County and the expansion of SOPAKCO. So there are indicators that the Pee Dee is picking up as far as jobs and employment go.”

The state’s job count increased by 1,100 in October with most of the increases occurring in professional and business services (+4,600), government (+3,500) and retail trade (+2,300). Partially offsetting the gains were losses in leisure and hospitality (-5,600), manufacturing (-1,600) and construction (-1,300).

The Employment Security Commission also said Friday it had revised September's rate up 0.1 percentage points, to 11.7.

The agency said the number of unemployed people in South Carolina went up by nearly 10,000 in October, to about 263,000.

The state's overall job count was down 60,500 from a year ago. It's nearly 95,000 below December 2007, when the recession began.

Allendale County had the state's highest jobless rate, at 22 percent. Unemployment was lowest in Lexington County, at 8.6 percent.

State-by-state unemployment numbers for October were to be released later Friday. South Carolina's September jobless rate was the nation's fifth-highest.