South Carolina’s overall unemployment drops, Berkeley County’s increases

For eight consecutive months unemployment in South Carolina has decreased, according to the annual benchmarking report from the governor’s office.

January’s report showed unemployment at 6.4 percent, which is a drop from December’s report showing 6.6 unemployment, both of which were under the national average.  This is reportedly the lowest unemployment has been since June 2008.

“Today’s news is a real testament to the hard working people of South Carolina and another sign that we are continuing to move in the right direction,” stated Governor Nikki Haley. “With more South Carolinians working than ever before – we are consistently proving that our state has the skilled workforce and business environment that companies here and around the world need to grow and succeed.”

According to Haley’s office, over two million South Carolinians were employed in January, the highest level in the state’s history.

However, the South Carolina Employment and Workforce reports that Berkeley County’s unemployment rate actually increased slightly from 5.6 percent in December, to 5.9 percent in January. But, this is still a decrease from January 2013 percentage of 7.4 percent.

For the month of January, the agency reported that 5,038 were unemployed in Berkeley County, compared to 4,762 in December.

One major manufacturer in Berkeley County, American LaFrance, did abruptly close for business in late January, in turn, putting about 200 people out of work.

It is estimated that approximately 81,000 people are currently employed in Berkeley County.