South Carolina jobless rate dips to 5.2 percent

South Carolina’s unemployment rate for July dropped to 5.2 percent in July from 5.4 percent in June, its lowest level since June 2001.

It is the third straight month the jobless rate in south Carolina has dropped.

"When we talk about priorities like workforce training and investments in education and students, there's a reason we do it – it's paying off,” Gov. Nikki Haley said in a prepared statement.

Nationally, the unemployment rate remained the same from June to July at 4.9 percent.

Over the year, the state’s jobless rate fell 0.5 percent from 5.7 percent, with the number of unemployed down 8,310. The number of people employed increased by 60,603, and the labor force rose by 52,293.

The most prominent increases were in professional and business services sector with an increase of 2,300 jobs, and government with an increase of 2,100 jobs.

Gains were also reported in the leisure and hospitality sector (800), education and health services (400) and financial activities (100). Industries shedding jobs included manufacturing, which dropped 1,000 and construction, down 900.

Over the month, unemployment declined by 4,858 to 120,788, while employment declined by 2,430 people to 2,182,646. This resulted in a decrease in the labor force of 7,288 people to a total of 2,303,434. July’s numbers registered the third consecutive monthly decrease in the unemployment rate.

Bamberg County registered the state’s highest unemployment rate at 10.5 percent. Lexington County had the lowest rate at 4.9 percent.

Richland County jobless rate dropped to 5.3 percent in June from 5.6 percent in June.

The Columbia metropolitan statistical region dropped to 5.1 percent from 5.3 percent in June.