Unemployment numbers appear to improve in SC, and nationally

Here's a closer look at where unemployment numbers stand here in SC and across the country

(CNN) — The unemployment situation appears to be improving here in the state as nearly three-thousand fewer people filed initial claims for unemployment last week.

The South Carolina department of employment and workforce reports 5,921 people filed initial claims for unemployment which is the lowest it has been since mid-March when lock-downs forced people out of work.

The South Carolina Department of Employment Workforce (DEW) recognizes there’s still a long way to go, saying the number of claims is about three times higher than they saw before the pandemic began affecting the state.

Nationally, for the first time since March, less than one-million Americans filed for initial unemployment insurance. The labor department says 963,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week.

That’s also the lowest since the pandemic shut down the county’s economy.
The number of continued claims, however, remain high with 15 and a half million people filing for unemployment benefits in back to back weeks.