South Carolina businesses hiring at fifth fastest rate in the country

If you’re in search of a job right now South Carolina has plenty of them available.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) – If you’re in search of a job right now South Carolina has plenty of them available.

There are more than two job openings for every unemployed South Carolinian in the state and businesses are hiring at the fifth fastest rate in the country while workers are quitting at the fourth highest rate in search of other employment opportunities, according to the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.

“It’s basically a sign of worker confidence, they see this stronger labor market that we’re in right now. They’re seeing other opportunities, other ways they can move to new positions and perhaps to see a higher salary, higher benefits, more flexibility. They’re taking advantage of that,” says Joesph Von Nessen who is a Research Economist at the University of South Carolina. 

 Von Nessen says there are more choices for workers but employers are experiencing labor shortages. 

“I think South Carolina employers are going to be facing a labor shortage for the foreseeable future,” says Von Nessen. “Employers have to get creative when they are looking to attract workers or to fill those needs and that can be raising pay or providing different types of benefits or job flexibility in terms of hours, schedules, working from home. And it also means automation, implementing new technology to reduce the need for the workers that these employers have and think about alternative ways to satisfy the demand they’re seeing.”

Von Nessen says now is the time to take advantage of new and better opportunities but he warns to always be on the lookout. 

“Even though the job market is extremely strong right now if the feds continue down their current path of raising interest rates and there’s every reason to think that they will do so, it is likely that we will see the labor market cool later this year. So I think in addition to being optimistic workers also need to exercise some caution and just be aware how the economic landscape may change in the next three to six months,” says Von Nessen.