June unemployment rate drops slightly

7/19/2008 1:10 AM



By MEG KINNARD

Associated Press

COLUMBIA -- South Carolina's jobless rate dropped slightly in June, recovering from its two-year high the month before but still registered nearly a point above national levels, the state Employment Security Commission said Friday.

The rate slid to 6.2 percent, an improvement from May, when it jumped to 6.5 percent, officials said. But it is still above the 5.9 percent reported in April.

Aiken County reported an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent in June, compared to 5.2 percent in May.

The national unemployment rate held steady in June at 5.5 percent but was up from 4.6 percent a year earlier. Michigan posted the country's highest rate, at 8.5 percent.

Construction jobs continued their national slide, shedding 3,200 jobs in South Carolina. Nationwide, construction jobs are 11 percent below their levels a year ago, the commission said.

With the summer recess in full swing, schools also released non-teaching staff, contributing to a 3,500-job loss in the government sector.

There were slight gains in the hospitality industry, which posted a 1,700-job increase during the busy summer tourist season. Overall, the state's job count was 4,500 higher than June of 2007.

But, even with those slight gains, high gas prices and housing concerns will keep the South Carolina's unemployment rate high "for the foreseeable future," forecasters said.

Allendale County had the highest rate in the state at 14.6 percent. Lexington County was the lowest, at 4.7 percent. Only three of the state's 46 counties - Chester, Lancaster and York - reported drops in their rates.