SC unemployment down again to 8.8 percent in April

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s unemployment rate has dropped for a ninth straight month.

The Department of Employment and Workforce said Friday the state’s jobless rate was 8.8 percent in April, down from 8.9 percent the month before.

The state added 13,500 jobs last month, with most coming in the leisure and hospitality industries. The only sector to see a decrease in jobs was government.

South Carolina’s unemployment rate peaked in January 2010 at 12.5 percent, and the 8.8 percent rate in April was the lowest in more than three years. The jobless rate in the state was 9.8 percent in April 2011.

Marion County maintained the state’s highest unemployment rate at 16.8 percent, while Greenville County had the lowest rate at 7 percent.