COLUMBIA – “Businesses in South Carolina added 6,800 jobs between March and April 2025 with particularly strong month-over-month job growth in Leisure and Hospitality; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; and Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities. The labor force increased by nearly 4,000 over the past month with only a small increase in the unemployment rate to 4.2%, in line with the national rate,” said the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) Executive Director William Floyd.
“Regionally, the Myrtle Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) experienced the highest month-over-month change in employment due, in part, to the growth in Leisure and Hospitality. Over the past month, non-farm employment in the Myrtle Beach MSA has grown 0.9%, outpacing the statewide growth rate of 0.3%,” continued Floyd.
“South Carolina’s labor market heading into the summer remains strong across most industries and major metropolitan areas,” said Floyd. “All MSAs in the state have experienced positive employment growth over the past month, as well as over the past year.”
“As teens are finishing the school year and looking toward summer opportunities, now is the perfect time to find seasonal employment. Businesses around the state, from restaurants to entertainment venues to parks to tourism companies and more, will be busy and are eager to add people to the team. For the past two years, I have had the privilege of accompanying Lt. Gov. Evette as she has toured South Carolina businesses that hire young people for part-time work while they are still in school or for summer-time jobs. These jobs teach soft skills such as teamwork, time management, problem-solving, customer service, and communication. Teens who are looking for summer work, or even part-time employment into the next school year, can visit the Youth Employment Site, where jobs are posted by employers all over the state. Youth employment experiences are great ways to build skills, savings, and experience for their future careers,” concluded Floyd.
South Carolina’s Employment Situation: April 2025
HOUSEHOLD SURVEY: LOCAL AREA UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICS
Nationally, there is a monthly Current Population Survey of about 60,000 households conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) to determine employment status of the civilian population. This information, along with other inputs, are used by DEW to operate
the Local Area Unemployment Statistics program, which estimates the number of individuals employed and those not employed, but actively
seeking employment for statewide and a variety of substate geographies.
Number of People Employed
2,455,000
2,450,000
2,445,000
2,440,000
2,435,000
2,430,000
2,425,000
2,420,000
2,415,000
EMPLOYMENT:
• The seasonally adjusted number of South Carolina workers increased to 2,448,456.
• That is an increase of 3,019 people over the March 2025 estimate.
• That is an increase of 22,204 people over the April 2024 estimate.
LABOR FORCE:
• The state’s estimated labor force (people working plus unemployed people looking for work) increased to 2,554,954 while the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 57.5 percent.
• That is an increase of 3,886 people over the March 2025 estimate.
• That is an increase of 29,649 individuals over the April 2024 estimate.
