T&D Region unemployment rates rise in December

Orangeburg County saw its unemployment rate rise to 6.3% in December, up from 5.7% in November, according to S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce numbers released Tuesday.

Bamberg County saw its unemployment rate also increase to 6.3% in December up from 5.8% in November.

Both Orangeburg and Bamberg counties were tied for the third highest unemployment rate in the state.

Calhoun County’s rate for December was 3.7%, an increase from 3.4% in November. The county was tied for the 14th highest unemployment rate with Darlington County.

Marlboro County had the state’s highest unemployment rate in December at 7.5%.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 3.5% in December from 3.7% in November.

The state set a new record for the highest number of individuals working at 2,320,717. This is 97,237 more than last December and 21,376 more than the pre-pandemic number, according to S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Executive Director Dan Ellzey.

“The unemployment rate is moving closer and closer to our pre-pandemic rates,” Ellzey said.

Nationally, the unemployment rate decreased to 3.9% in December from 4.2%  in November.

Unemployment estimates decreased to 85,090 people. That is a decrease of 4,377 people from the November 2021 estimate and a decrease of 46,492 over the December 2020 estimate, according to SCDEW.

In other nearby counties, December unemployment rates were:

• Allendale – 6.7%
• Barnwell – 5.8%
• Dorchester – 2.9%
• Lexington – 2.6%