South Carolina’s jobless rate edges up a bit in March

South Carolina’s unemployment rate edged up slightly last month, the first increase in more than a year.

The Department of Employment and Workforce said Friday the state’s jobless rate increased to 5.7 percent in March. That was up from 5.5 percent in February. It’s the first increase since September 2014.

The agency cited a record number of people entering the workforce for the increase. The number of people working in March increased by more than 12,000. Nearly 2 million South Carolinians are now working.

The trade, transportation and utility sector added nearly 4,000 jobs last month. The manufacturing sector lost 100 jobs.

In the Midlands, Lexington County’s rate was 4.6 percent, a .1 percentage point increase from February but .2 percentage points lower than a year ago. The 4.6 percent rate also tied Charleston for the state’s lowest.

Richland County’s rate was 5.3 percent, a .1 percentage point increase from February, and Kershaw County’s was 5.7 percent, which was unchanged from February.

Allendale County had the highest unemployment rate in the state at 9.8 percent.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 5:56 PM with the headline "South Carolina’s jobless rate edges up a bit in March."