Unemployment Up Slightly in Dec. 2012

South Carolina's unemployment rate edged up a tenth of a percentage point in December 2012 to 8.4 percent from the November rate of 8.3 percent, according to numbers released Friday by the Department of Employment and Workforce.

SCDEW Executive Director Abraham Turner remained optimistic despite the small uptick in unemployment numbers, saying year-end declines in employment are typical.

"Typically, we see a small decrease in employment in December because of seasonal declines in the Leisure and Hospitality, Professional and Business Services, and Government sectors," Turner said in a statement released by SCDEW. "Nonetheless, I am encouraged as the state's overall job growth trend throughout 2012 was at a pace similar to historical levels before the recent recession. This is welcomed news as we move forward in 2013, when DEW will continue partnering closely with businesses and jobseekers to put South Carolinians back to work."

With Friday's announcement that Google plans to expand its Berkeley County facility with a new $600 million investment, Turner's optimism seems well-founded. Currently Google employs approximately 110 people at the Berkeley County data center, the expansion announcement did not provide any indication on the number of new employees that will be added however.

The Charleston/North Charleston Metro area lost 961 jobs during the time frame, but compared to December 2011 numbers, the metro area has added approximately 3,700 jobs during 2012. The overall unemployment rate for the Charleston/North Charleston Metro area rose .3 percent to 7.1 percent from the November level of 6.8 percent, but remains below both the state and national averages.

Nationally the unemployment rate remained at 7.8 percent from November to December.

Within Charleston County the unemployment rate increased .3 percent to 6.9 percent from 6.6 percent in November, with 518 more people joining the ranks of the unemployed. A total of 12,086 Charleston County residents were counted as unemployed at the end of 2012.

The unemployment rate in Berkeley County also ticked up .3 percent to 7.6 percent from the November rate of 7.3 percent. During December 278 more Berkeley County residents were counted as unemployed bringing the total number to 6,364.

Dorchester County also saw its unemployment rate increase by .3 percent to 7.1 percent from 6.8 percent in November. The number of Dorchester County residents looking for work by the end of 2012 was 4,813, an addition of 166 people more than in November 2012.

Despite the growing unemployment rate, several industrial sectors added jobs in December including Trade, Transportation and Utilities - added 2,400 jobs; Education and Health Services - added 1,000 jobs; Construction - added 700 jobs; Financial Activities - added 300 jobs; and Information - added 100 jobs.

Sectors leading the declines were Leisure and Hospitality - lost 5,900 jobs; Government - lost 2,300; and Professional and Business Services - lost 1,700 jobs.