SC jobless claims still rising, but slower than in previous weeks during pandemic

Another 87,686 South Carolinians filed for unemployment benefits between April 5 and April 11, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce reported Thursday.

Compared to the week before, nearly 3,000 additional workers filed initial claims for unemployment insurance. Although that indicates there are still thousands more workers out of jobs, it the smallest uptick in S.C. jobless claims — 3.14% — since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

From mid-March to early April, DEW went from receiving 31,054 initial claims to 64,856 and then 85,000. Benefits claims have ballooned by 4,293.09%, up to 268,614 total initial claims, in the four weeks since the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down swaths of South Carolina’s economy.

Call center staff was increased by 400% — from 46 to 292 employees — in two weeks to account for the influx of claims and calls, according to a news release. There will be more than 500 customer service representatives by April 25, DEW predicts.

DEW has paid out tens of millions in normal unemployment insurance benefits in the last few weeks. On Sunday, April 12, the department also began paying out Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) included in the CARES Act. This program gives $600 extra per week to South Carolinians who previously qualified for unemployment in the state.

This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 8:49 AM with the headline "SC jobless claims still rising, but slower than in previous weeks during pandemic."