May starts with 32,000-plus people filing for unemployment in SC during coronavirus
Unemployment numbers in South Carolina continue to rise during the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 32,000 South Carolina residents filed initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from May 3-9, Department of Employment and Workforce officials said Thursday in a news release.
Of those claims, 2,583 were issued in Richland County. That’s the fourth-most in the state over the past week, trailing Greenville (3,494), Horry (2,694), and Charleston (2,671) counties, according to DEW. In Lexington County, DEW reported 1,442 initial unemployment claims were issued.
The 32,513 people filing for unemployment is a reduction from the previous week’s figure, when 46,747 initial jobless claims were made from April 26-May 2, according to the release.
While this marks the fourth decrease in initial claims since March, overall 486,149 South Carolinians have filed for unemployment in the past eight weeks, DEW officials reported.
Gov. Henry McMaster and state officials are moving to reopen businesses across South Carolina that had been temporarily closed to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. But DEW said more than a billion dollars has already been issued to Palmetto State residents.
A combination of state unemployment benefits, along with CARES Acts funds, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance totaling $1.09 billion has been issued over the past eight weeks in South Carolina, according to the release.
The FPUC program, funded by the federal CARES Act, gives $600 extra per week to South Carolinians who previously qualified for unemployment in the state, on top of the state benefits they already receive. The PUA program expands unemployment benefits to cover workers who otherwise wouldn’t qualify, or who were deeply affected financially by the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Over the last week we have seen another decline in the number of unemployment insurance initial claims. This four-week trend correlates with the gradual transition from pronounced unemployment to a portion of the population reporting back to work as the Governor reengages the state’s businesses,” DEW Executive Director Dan Ellzey said in the release. “At the same time, our agency is continuing to process claims to make sure all eligible individuals receive payments, back-dated appropriately.”
The state labor agency said it is handling an unprecedented number of new claims. It’s a historic unemployment crisis that is expected to drain the state’s unemployment trust fund and require South Carolina to seek a federal loan, officials said.
McMaster, who pledged to have business “humming” by the summer, allowed certain nonessential businesses to reopen, in addition to letting restaurants resume on-site dining. Other parts of the state’s economy have also begun reopening. Hospitals have rescheduled some elective procedures they halted in March, schools are organizing socially distant graduation ceremonies, and colleges are making plans to reopen their campuses come fall.
“As South Carolinians begin to return to work, we know most will be ready to get back to the long-term stability of employment, but we also understand that some individuals may face challenges,” Ellzey said. “We will support employers and employees through this process of reemployment, which is key to the state’s economic recovery.”
