SC Unemployment Rate Falls Slightly

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) _ South Carolina’s unemployment rate has fallen slightly in the last month.

The Department of Employment and Workforce said Friday the state’s jobless rate was 5.6 percent in May. That’s down from 5.8 percent in April.

Officials say the number of people working in South Carolina reached a record level last month, at more than 2.18 million people. The number of unemployed people dropped nearly 4,500, to 129,000.

Together, the education and construction sectors grew by 3,000 jobs last month. Government jobs also went up by 700 positions.

Unemployment was down in all of South Carolina’s counties except three. Lexington County had the state’s lowest jobless rate, at 4 percent. Unemployment was highest in Bamberg County, at 8.4 percent.