Unemployment Down in South Carolina-Unchanged in Oconee

Unemployment in South Carolina is at its lowest in six years. The South Carolina Department of Employment and workforce says the March unemployment rate in South Carolina was 5.5 percent, down from February’s rate of 5.7 percent. This is the lowest since March 2008. According to the department, the estimated number of employed persons in March was 2,046,002, up 6,560 since February. This is the eighth consecutive monthly increase and marks a state historic employment high. From March 2013 to March 2014, an estimated 32,555 people have found work. Gains were reported in Professional and Business Services, Construction, Education and Health Services and Leisure and Hospitaltity. Oconee County’s unemployment rate was unchanged from February to March. The current unemployment rate in Oconee is 5.7 percent, which is the highest in the upstate. The rate in Pickens county is 4.6 percent; Anderson County is 4.7 percent; Greenville County is 4.4 percent; Spartanburg County is at 5 percent.