Jobless rates in Jasper and Beaufort counties declined from September to October, while the rate in South Carolina as a whole was almost unchanged.
Statewide, October unemployment rate edged up from 6.6 percent in September to 6.7.
“In October, South Carolina’s labor force hit an all-time high with an estimated 2.2 million people employed or actively looking for work,” said S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Cheryl Stanton on Friday.
“As the state’s economy continues to grow, South Carolinians are seeking new employment opportunities. DEW will work with job seekers to match them with the more than 65,000 available jobs.” Jasper County fell from 6.1 percent to 5.8, while Beaufort County improved from 6.4 percent to 6 percent jobless.
Nationally, the unemployment rate decreased to 5.8 percent in October from 5.9 percent in September. Since October of 2013, South Carolina’s labor force has increased by nearly 19,000 people, and the state’s unemployment rate has dipped by approximately 0.3 percentage points.
On Friday the employment agency released figures showing that education and health services jobs led with 2,600 new positions, followed by manufacturing, which added 2,100. Six hundred positions were added in professional and business services, while government increased by 500, and leisure and hospitality grew by 200 positions.
Last month Stanton’s agency announced that next year’s unemployment insurance tax rates will be 9 percent less than this year’s rates, and 20-25 percent less than 2011 tax rates.
The economic recovery, stronger hiring, lower benefits payouts and lawmakers’ narrowing of the eligibility standards for receiving unemployment benefits after a job loss were all cited as factors.