County’s jobless rate slips 13 percent in September

Darlington County’s unemployment rate decreased in September from 13.2 percent in August to 13.0 percent, bucking a statewide upward trend.

Chesterfield County also saw its monthly jobless rate slip a tenth of a point from 16.9 percent to 16.8 percent, according to unadjusted figures from the S.C. Employment Security Commission released Wednesday.

South Carolina’s unemployment rate rose to 11.6 percent in September from a revised rate of 11.4 percent in August, according to the commission.

Nationally, the unemployment rate for September was 9.8 percent compared to 9.7 percent in August.

“Job growth in our state continues to struggle to keep up with job losses,” said Roosevelt T. Halley, executive director of the commission. “As a result, the unemployment rate will remain high for the foreseeable future.”

Darlington County’s labor force shrank in September from 33,055 in August to 32,246, according to the commission. Jobless claims also declined from 4,363 to 4,188 for the month.

One year earlier, the county had 2,983 unemployed out of a labor force of 31,621 for a monthly rate of 9.4 percent.

In Chesterfield County, the labor force went from 19,051 in August to 18,716 with the number of unemployed dropping from 3,228 to 3,152 for the same period.

In September of 2008, Chesterfield’s jobless rate stood at 10.7 percent with 2,015 workers idle out of a force of 18,757.

Once again, Allendale County posted the state’s highest rate of unemployment among South Carolina’s 46 counties at 22.5 percent, up from 21.7 percent in August.

And again, Lexington County saw the lowest rate at 8.3 percent compared to 8.1 percent in August.

Darlington County’s September rate placed it 25th among the 46 counties.

Among surrounding counties, Marion County had the third highest rate at 21.0 percent; Marlboro ranked fifth highest at 20.2 percent; Dillon was 10th at 17.2 percent; Lee County ranked 15th along with McCormick County at 15.7 percent; and Florence ranked 30th along with Laurens County at 11.7 percent.

The statewide increase in joblessness followed two straight months of declines, the commission said.

South Carolina’s labor force continued to drop, falling by 2,851 in September to 2,170,607 - its lowest level since September 2008 - while the number of unemployed increased by 3,570 to 251,975, the commission reported.

The state’s job count increased in September by 2,500 with most of the increases occurring in government, up 17,200, as state and local schools entered the first full month of the new school year.

Other industries reporting gains were professional and business services, up 1,500; health care and social assistance, up 1,200; and wholesale trade, up 1,600, according to the commission.

Partially offsetting the gains were losses in leisure and hospitality, down 11,100; construction, down 1,800; retail trade, down by 1,100; and manufacturing, down 400.

The state’s overall job count was 68,700 below the year-ago level and nearly 98,000 below the December 2007 level when the current recession began.