Little change in jobless rates; career fairs planned

Orangeburg County saw its unemployment rate decline from 7.1% in January to 6.9% in February.

Orangeburg County had the fourth-highest jobless rate out of the state’s 46 counties in February.

Bamberg County saw its unemployment rate remain at 7.3% in February. The county had the third-highest unemployment rate in the state.

Calhoun County’s rate for February was 4.5%, an increase from 4.2% in January. The county was tied for the 16th highest unemployment rate with Colleton, Darlington and Greenwood counties.

Marlboro County had the state’s highest unemployment rate in February at 8.9%.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate saw no change, remaining at 3.5% in February.

The seasonally adjusted, monthly survey of households estimated the number of South Carolinians working increased to 2,295,706.

That is an increase of 3,406 people over the January estimate. It is an increase of 49,175 people over the February 2021 estimate.

The estimate of unemployed people showed little change at 82,658.

“Employer demand is still high,” S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey said. “We currently have more than 112,000 job postings in SC Works Online Services, which is approximately 41,000 more postings than there were prior to the pandemic.”

There will be a number of job fair opportunities for local residents, including:

• A S.C. Department of Corrections career fair is scheduled for Monday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the SC Works center at 1804 Joe Jeffords Highway in Orangeburg. Participants are asked to bring their driver’s license, birth certificate, Social Security card and high school diploma or GED.

• S.C. Works is holding a community event regarding job opportunities at the Walmart warehouse in Dorchester County. The event will be held at from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 30 at Holly Hill Elementary School, 1490 Brant Ave., Holly Hill.

• A job fair is planned for Thursday, April 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College’s Larry Patrick Student Services Building “S” Atrium at 3250 St. Matthews Road. About 65 employers are expected.

Nationally, the unemployment rate decreased to 3.8% in February from 4% in January, according to the Current Population Survey.

In other nearby counties, February unemployment rates were:

• Allendale – 7.8%

• Barnwell – 6.7%

• Dorchester – 3.6%

• Lexington – 3.3%