Labor market shows another strong month in Georgia, South Carolina

AUGUSTA, Ga. – It’s still a job-seeker’s market on both sides of the Savannah River, according to labor statistics released this week by officials in Georgia and South Carolina.

In Georgia

Georgia’s unemployment rate remained at 3.1% in April for the ninth month in a row, although that’s up from the all-time low of 2.9% in April 2022.

Beyond the stable jobless rate, there’s other good news in the labor force. After months of stagnation, the labor force added more than 10,000 workers for the second straight month, showing that the number of job seekers has not hit a ceiling.

NATIONAL NUMBERS:

• The nationwide unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in April from 3.5% in March. The national jobless rate was 3.6% a year ago.

The labor force and the number of people working in Georgia both hit all-time highs again, while the number of people who were unemployed was flat at 165,000.

The number of workers on Georgia employer payrolls — the top labor market measure for many economists — is measured by a separate survey. Payrolls rose by 10,000 from March to April, reaching 4.89 million. That’s about 110,000 more than in April 2022.

About 5,000 Georgia workers filed for new unemployment benefits in the week that ended May 13.

The overall number of people collecting state unemployment was about 34,000 in the week that ended May 6.

In South Carolina

Overall, labor market conditions in South Carolina show high rates of openings, hires, and quits and low rates of layoffs, according to figures from March.

Openings and layoffs ticked up modestly, whereas hires and quits fell slightly.

“What we are seeing here are numbers consistent with an economy that is experiencing near-record low unemployment,” said Dr. Bryan Grady at the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. “People looking for a new job or considering entering the workforce have many opportunities available. Conversely, we are diligently working with businesses across South Carolina to ensure that they have the workers they need to grow and prosper.”

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