CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – Thousands of South Carolinians continue to live on unemployment insurance, even though the unemployment rate has been steadily falling since the height of the COVID crisis last summer.
On Wednesday, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, the American Job Center and SC Works Veterans Services hosted a virtual hiring event with nearly 3,000 job openings. As of Monday, only about 330 people had signed up to participate.
“We offer opportunities. At each of these events, we will usually see about 10 hires, ”said Warren Snead, human resources manager at Cooper Standard. “We don’t hire everyone who obviously appears. We do thorough background checks. ”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the unemployment rate in South Carolina fell from almost 13% in April to 4.6% in December. With vaccine distribution increasing and companies starting to reopen, more jobs are becoming available.
“For someone who is underemployed, this is a critical opportunity,” said Snead. “We certainly don’t want people to depend on unemployment.”
While opportunities are available, not everyone can find a new job.
The coronavirus job market has reached several groups in different ways. Single mothers, for example, are finding it even more difficult to find a job they can do while looking after their children. Malikah Small is taking care of her children while they attend virtual school.
“I cannot work at home with a child. I can’t leave the house and work, ”said Small. “Sucks. There is no better term to describe this. “
Antonio Mulligan is also having trouble finding a new job because of his criminal record. He served a probationary period for drug offenses. He was out of a job last year, but was dismissed because of the pandemic.
He says it’s difficult until he gets a call back.
“It is disheartening when you receive emails from jobs you know you are qualified for and that you simply cannot because of rules and regulations. So that part is difficult, ”said Mulligan.
Between November and December, unemployment increased by 0.2%. The hotel industry continues to record the highest levels of unemployment, with 15.6% unemployment.
Despite this, South Carolina continues to show a significantly better trend than national statistics. The national unemployment rate is 6.3%.
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