SC Unemployment Claims Soar

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(Greenville, SC) - On the heels of a record 3.28 million new claims for unemployment in the US, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce is reporting a 1,600% increase in new unemployment claims.

In the week ending March 21, intial claims in the Palmetto State rose to just over 31,000 from just less than 2,000 the week before.  Horry and Charleston counties were hardest hit with over 5,200 claims in Horry county and just under 4,200 in Charleston county. 

Greenville county had the third largest number of claims in the state at 3,265.  Spartanburg county had the fifth highest number of claims at 1,554 and Anderson county was tenth with 967 intial claims for unemployment benefits.

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce issues the following statement Thursday. Intrastate Initial Claims: (within the state) In the week ending March 21, 2020, the advance figures for South Carolina intrastate initial claims was 31,054, an increase of approximately 1600% from the previous week’s count of 1,996. This means that there were 31,054 individuals who both live and work in the state of South Carolina who filed an initial claim during that week. This is the data you will see reflected in the county information below.
Interstate Initial Claims: In the week ending March 21, 2020, the advance figures for South Carolina interstate initial claims was 772, an increase of approximately 800% from the previous week’s count of 97. This means that there were 772 individuals who live in South Carolina, but filed for unemployment insurance against another state.

The following is a list of new unemployment claims in the top 10 most impacted counties from the SC Department of Employment and Workforce.  1)  Horry County                5,258 2)  Charleston County        4,183 3)  Greenville County         3,265 4)  Richland County           2,476 5)  Spartanburg County      1,554 6)  Lexington County         1,487 7)  York County                  1,404 8)  Berkley County             1,321 9)  Beaufort County            1,09010) Anderson County             967