Dillon County ranked sixth in the state in unemployment during the month of October.
The rate fell from 11.6 percent in September to 11.2 percent in October.
Marion, Allendale, Barnwell, Bamberg, and Marlboro counties ranked ahead of Dillon.
In October, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined significantly to 7.5 percent from 7.9 percent in September. This is the lowest the rate has been since September 2008 and the closest to the national rate since September 2002. The number of unemployed persons was 162,613, falling approximately 7,457, while those employed increased 3,465 to a level of 1,994,349. The labor force fell 3,992 to 2,156,962 in October.
Since October 2012, the unemployment rate has decreased by 1.3 percent and includes a decline of 26,940 in the number of unemployed. Of that drop, 17,779 people found work.
Almost 9,200 people left the labor force during the year.
The national unemployment rate for October was estimated at 7.3 percent, up slightly from September’s rate of 7.2 percent.
Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Seasonally Adjusted1)
With an over-the-month increase of 3,600, October’s seasonally adjusted, non-farm payrolls reached a year-high level of 1,901,300. This is the fifth consecutive employment increase since May 2013.
* South Carolina’s largest gains were in Manufacturing (+2,600); Construction (+1,800); and Educational and Health Services (+1,800); with smaller growth in Financial Activities (+400) and Information (+300).
* Declines were reported in Other Services (-1,100); Professional and Business Services (-900); and Leisure and Hospitality (-900); largely related to declines in the tourism industry. Smaller drops were seen in Government (-300) and Trade, Transportation and Utilities (-100).
Since October of 2012, seasonally adjusted non-farm jobs were up 33,600.
* Industries with notable gains were Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+6,400); Professional and Business Services (+6,300); Construction (+4,900); Leisure and Hospitality (+4,800); Manufacturing and Government both attained (+3,800); Education and Health Services (+3,000) and Financial Activities (+2,700).
* Declines were seen in Other Services (-1,800) and Information (-200).
Nonagricultural Employment by Industry (Not Seasonally Adjusted2)
Not-seasonally adjusted employment in October increased from September by 9,600 to 1,907,100. Gains were seen in Government (+5,500); Construction (+2,400); Manufacturing (+2,300); Education and Health Services (+1,800); and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (+1,500). Leisure and Hospitality
(-3,500) experienced its usual end-of-summer decline, and there were smaller drops in Professional and Business Services (-1,300) and Other Services (-100).
