South Carolina Unemployment Drops Below 10% (Columbia, Charleston: calculation, commute, metro area)

[New Wave Carpetbagger]

I agree with mattee01 and myrc60. I'm one of those people who is no longer considered unemployed, but I'm doing a hodgepodge of freelance and part-time stuff, when I used to work full-time with benefits. I'm not making enough to get by; without my spouse I'd be up the creek. Yay, I'm just UNDEREMPLOYED instead of unemployed now!

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by New Wave Carpetbagger

I agree with mattee01 and myrc60. I'm one of those people who is no longer considered unemployed, but I'm doing a hodgepodge of freelance and part-time stuff, when I used to work full-time with benefits. I'm not making enough to get by; without my spouse I'd be up the creek. Yay, I'm just UNDEREMPLOYED instead of unemployed now!

That's pretty much where I sit too NWC but both adults in this house can't find a full-time job. I work some freelance and keep looking for more. Too bad for the economy this ends up costing me more than if I had a full-time job somewhere so I have less money to put back in the economy; but don't mislead yourself thinking I'm putting much more than monthly bill payments into it. Sure we have food and the electric bill is paid, but if the car breaks down we are going to have a hard time fixing it and if the car doesn't run we can't get to any interview let alone a real job! The keyboard on my laptop has to be replaced; I had to buy it; this laptop is our only means of support when unemployment runs out in 2 weeks. I found a cheap keyboard on ebay; hopefully it is exactly what I need, and works perfectly.

Did you know we as a country no longer have a space program? 60 Minutes did a story about NASA's layoff last year and how it is affecting Florida. While not related to SC per se, it was a good piece to watch. One group of people is responsible for that. It won't help America to be anti-America. If you missed the story it should be available online today. I strongly suggest you watch it.

[Columbiadata]

"Seasonal shifts" pushed the state's unemployment rate up to 9.4% in June. The good news is the metros have added a good many jobs over the past year.

http://dew.sc.gov/documents/lmi-mont.../June_2012.pdf

[Columbiadata]

USA Today says it this way in today's edition: twenty-nine states added jobs, but an increase in the number of people looking for work expanded the labor force, thus driving up the unemployment rate.

[Columbiadata]

While only eight of SC's 46 counties saw increases in unemployment in July, the state's unemployment rate ticked up from 9.4% to 9.6%. The state's largest metros saw decreases in unemployment. All three major metros saw a decrease in both jobs and unemployment from June to July. For the most part the major metros saw both year-over-year increases in jobs and year-over-year decreases in unemployment rates.

http://dew.sc.gov/documents/lmi-mont.../July_2012.pdf

[Columbiadata]

The state's unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in February. The three major metros in the state continue adding jobs, and the unemployment rate in all three decreased.

Charleston: 3,400 jobs added from February 2012 to February 2013 for a job growth rate of 1.14% - 6.8% unemployment

Columbia: 3,400 jobs added from February 2012 to February 2013 for a job growth rate of .97% - 7.4% unemployment

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin: 2,900 jobs added from February 2012 to February 2013 for a job growth rate of .95% - 7.5% unemployment

While the Spartanburg and Myrtle Beach MSA's performed well in job gains, their unemployment rates are relatively high.

Richland County's unemployment rate dropped 7/10 of a percentage point from January to February.

http://dew.sc.gov/documents/lmi-mont...ruary_2013.pdf

[gvillesc]

Originally Posted by Columbiadata

The state's unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in February. The three major metros in the state continue adding jobs, and the unemployment rate in all three decreased.

Charleston: 3,400 jobs added from February 2012 to February 2013 for a job growth rate of 1.14% - 6.8% unemployment

Columbia: 3,400 jobs added from February 2012 to February 2013 for a job growth rate of .97% - 7.4% unemployment

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin: 2,900 jobs added from February 2012 to February 2013 for a job growth rate of .95% - 7.5% unemployment

While the Spartanburg and Myrtle Beach MSA's performed well in job gains, their unemployment rates are relatively high.

Richland County's unemployment rate dropped 7/10 of a percentage point from January to February.

http://dew.sc.gov/documents/lmi-mont...ruary_2013.pdf

It's interesting that Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg outgained the rest of the state in jobs. Anderson is still counted separately from Greenville, and had a net change of 0-- I think that's a pretty good illustration of why is has been added back to Greenville's MSA.

Where did you get your Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin unemployment number from? I'm coming up with 7.09%.

[Columbiadata]

Originally Posted by gvillesc

It's interesting that Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg outgained the rest of the state in jobs. Anderson is still counted separately from Greenville, and had a net change of 0-- I think that's a pretty good illustration of why is has been added back to Greenville's MSA.

Where did you get your Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin unemployment number from? I'm coming up with 7.09%.

You can't have the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin MSA and leave Anderson County out when saying what the MSA's unemployment rate is. I added the unemployment rates for Greenville, Pickens, Laurens and Anderson counties and divided by four and got 7.45%, and then rounded up to 7.5%. Am I missing a county? Or is that not the way to figure it?

[gvillesc]

Originally Posted by Columbiadata

You can't have the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin MSA and leave Anderson County out when saying what the MSA's unemployment rate is. I added the unemployment rates for Greenville, Pickens, Laurens and Anderson counties and divided by four and got 7.45%, and then rounded up to 7.5%. Am I missing a county? Or is that not the way to figure it?

You can't add percentages and divide them. You need to add the parts and divide them.

Labor Force- Greenville MSA: 313,329 + Anderson County: 84,102 = New Greenville MSA: 397,431
Unemployed- Greenville MSA: 21,508 + Anderson County: 6,657 = New Greenville MSA: 28,165

Divide those and you get the unemployment rate: 7.09%

[Columbiadata]

Originally Posted by gvillesc

You can't add percentages and divide them. You need to add the parts and divide them.

Labor Force- Greenville MSA: 313,329 + Anderson County: 84,102 = New Greenville MSA: 397,431
Unemployed- Greenville MSA: 21,508 + Anderson County: 6,657 = New Greenville MSA: 28,165

Divide those and you get the unemployment rate: 7.09%

Divide "those" - what is those? You do math; I do English. At any rate, jobs added and unemployment rates are trending in the right direction for the state's major metros.