SC officials worry unemployed aren’t doing enough to find jobs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina’s unemployment rate continued to drop in January, but the agency is worried people receiving jobless benefits aren’t doing enough to look for work.

The state Department of Employment and Workforce says the jobless rate dropped to 5.3% in January, down from 5.6% in December, but well above the 2.6% rate in January 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic started.

The agency says one troubling part of January’s report is the number of job searches made by people collecting unemployment benefits is quite low.

The agency suspended requirements for a certain number of job searches when the pandemic started in March 2020, but will begin to enforce them again soon.