COLOMBIA, SC (WCSC) – The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce said more than 5,000 people filed their first claim for unemployment insurance in the week that ended on Saturday.
SCDEW said it received 5,146 initial complaints, a 26% jump from the previous week.
Tri-County also saw an increase in initial complaints. Berkeley County reported the third largest total, 357, behind 420 Richland County complaints and 400 Greenville County complaints.
Charleston County had the sixth highest number of complaints the first time, with 275, and Dorchester County, the eighth largest, with 238.
The remaining Lowcountry counties had totals below 100 complaints, according to the latest SCDEW data.
In the week ending Saturday, the state paid nearly $ 74 million in state and federal benefits.
Throughout the year since the pandemic began, South Carolina has paid nearly $ 5.5 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits.
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