If York County is past the worst of coronavirus unemployment, here’s how bad it got.
As the coronavirus unemployment picture brightens in York and neighboring counties, it also reveals just how dark times got.
Weekly data from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce shows continued movement toward employment. Yet the same department recently updated its county-level data for April that shows historic spikes in joblessness.
The unemployment rate in York County quadrupled from 2.9% in March to 12% in April. There were 16,374 people unemployed in a labor force of nearly 137,000. Lancaster County his 12.9% unemployment. That rate is almost three times higher than in March. Chester County rose to 14.6% unemployment, more than triple its March rate.
Combined, the tri-county area had a 12.3% unemployment rate for April, almost four times its March rate.
Workforce department data shows York County saw that surge in unemployment while the number of available jobs decreased by more than 1,000 from March to April. The 3,671 job openings in York County in April represent the lowest total since October, when unemployment was 2.3%.
Department data shows 59% of York County unemployment claims were filed by women. White workers filed 58% of the claims, compared to black workers at 29%. U.S. Census Bureau demographic estimates put York County overall at 75% white and 19% black.
Workers age 25-40 filed the most claims in York County. College graduates filed 54% of the April claims.
Retail, accommodations, food service and manufacturing were the hardest hit jobs. York County had 986 retail industry claims in April. There were 2,474 claims — 28% of overall claims — without a job industry listed.
By occupation, office and administrative support positions by far had the most claims at 1,192 filed. Food preparation and service was next at 777 claims.
The most job openings listed for April were for registered nurses (245), interpreters and translators (150) and customer service representatives (101).
Unemployment claim filing
Despite nearing milestone figures for unemployment claims, the filing trend in the tri-county area continues its downward path.
The week ending May 30 saw 1,051 claims in the three counties. A slight weekly uptick in Chester County is the only blip on an otherwise steady decline from highs in April.
York County had 665 unemployment claims the most recent week. Lancaster County had 254 claims and Chester County 132 claims.
Since social distancing for coronavirus began mid-March, there have been 29,528 unemployment claims filed in York, Lancaster and Chester counties. York County has 19,977 claims. Lancaster County has 6,353 and Chester County 3,198 claims.
Statewide there were just under 19,000 unemployment claims the most recent week. That figure, too, is a continued decline from April highs. South Carolina has accounted for 559,531 unemployment claims since mid-March. The state workforce department paid out more than $1.8 billion in benefits through various programs.
“As the number of initial claims continues to decrease week over week, we hope to see more opportunities for South Carolina to return to stable employment and financial stability,” said Dan Ellzey, workforce department director. “As more individuals return to work, many have asked what they need to do to stop receiving unemployment benefits. The answer is simple; just stop certifying.”
Self-reported certification tells the unemployment department whether someone who filed previously remains unemployed. Once someone stops certifying for 14 days, the claim becomes inactive.
“However,” Ellzey said, “we know not everyone is in a position to immediately return to work. For those who are still looking for employment, our agency and the SC Works system offer resources to help you with this process.”
