SC jobless claims rise for third week in a row due to coronavirus outbreak
Another 85,000 South Carolinians filed for unemployment benefits during the week of April 4, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce reported Thursday.
That was another significant jump in jobless claims from the previous two weeks, when the agency went from 31,054 initial claims to 64,856. Filings for unemployment benefits have ballooned close to 200,000 total since the coronavirus pandemic grabbed hold of South Carolina’s economy in March.
From the start of last month to the end, initial unemployment claims in the state rose by 3,149.3%, according to DEW. The agency has processed at least 108,928 initial jobless claims in three weeks. At normal volume, its representatives would have processed 5,862 claims in that time period, according to DEW. Call center staff was increased by 400% in two weeks to account for the influx of claims and calls.
DEW also paid out $18.5 million in benefits between March 15 and April 4, before the federal CARES Act was fully implemented in the state.
Some counties have been hit especially hard by unemployment, according to DEW data on initial unemployment claims:
▪ Horry County — 10,098
▪ Greenville County — 9,919
▪ Charleston County — 7,315
▪ Spartanburg County — 6,038
▪ Richland County — 5,848
▪ Lexington County — 3,992
The coronavirus has had an unprecedented impact on the world, essentially freezing business and pummeling nations’ economies. As U.S. officials try to get a hold on rapidly increasing rates of infection, a record number of workers have been laid off or furloughed.
On April 7, Gov. Henry McMaster enacted a modified stay-home order for South Carolina. State leaders also began rolling out a hospital surge plan that will add up to 3,000 hospital beds to the state’s health care capacity. Cases of the coronavirus and patient deaths from COVID-19 are predicted to continue increasing through May in South Carolina.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 8:54 AM with the headline "SC jobless claims rise for third week in a row due to coronavirus outbreak."