S.C.'s unemployment dips 0.2% in February; Beaufort mixed

Flickr user Kelly B.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped slightly from 9.3% in January to 9.1% in February.

That means for the seventh consecutive month the unemployment rate has declined.

The Beaufort metro area edged up, however, from 7.8% to 7.9% — although total area employment increased from 57,611 to 59,274, a rise that was outpaced by the growth of the workforce, leading to the slight increase.

Beaufort County had the fifth best unemployment percentage in the state, with Greenville County leading at 7.2%

On a statewide level, with an increase of 9,864 employed people driving the decline, South Carolina experienced its third largest month-to-month gain in employment since 1976. The number of individuals employed in February totaled 1,961,103. The unemployed group fell by 4,137, down to a level of 196,746. 

Nationally, the unemployment rate remained flat at 8.3 percent in February. 

You can read the SC Department of Employment and Workforce's full news release on South Carolina's jobs below.

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