Unemployment Goes Up Slightly from April to May

Berkeley County's unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in May — a 0.5 percent increase from the county's April numbers. 

In May 2012, Berkeley County's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent. Since that time, more than 650 jobseekers have left the market, according to unemployment numbers. 

The Department of Workforce and Development announced on Friday that the state's unemployment rate was still at 8 percent in May.

There were a net of 3,270 jobs in May as the number of unemployed fell by 1,773, while the number of people employed rose by 1,497.

It's the 11 month in a row that employment has improved in the Palmetto State. 

The national unemployment rate is 7.6. May is the closest South Carolina’s unemployment rate has been to the national rate since March 2008, when both rates were below 6.0 percent.