SC unemployment inches downward in May to 5.6 percent

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.

The unemployment rates in York and Lancaster counties also dipped in May. York’s rate came in at 4.5 percent, down from 4.9 percent in April. Lancaster’s rate dropped to 5.4 percent from 5.8 percent last month.

Chester County’s jobless rate remained steady at 7.1 percent.

All three counties’ May rates were more than a full percentage point lower than they were in May 2015: York down from 5.6 percent, Lancaster down from 6.6 percent and Chester down from 8.5 percent.

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.

This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 1:19 PM with the headline "SC unemployment inches downward in May to 5.6 percent."