COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina saw a rise in first time unemployment claims for the first time in weeks but the agency said that may be due to seasonal trends.
The South Carolina Department of Employment and Work Force (SCDEW) said Thursday for the claim week ending July 11, 2020, the number of South Carolinians who filed their initial claim for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits is 19,329, an increase of 3,267 initial claims from the week prior. This brings the initial claims total to 671,079 received since mid-March.
“When looking at this claim week, the jump in numbers may be surprising, but it does track with an annual trend our agency sees each year around the 4th of July holiday. The week following the 4th of July has historically recorded a higher number of initial claims as it represents layoffs and closings for the holiday week. When an individual files for unemployment insurance, they are filing for layoff or lack of work for the prior week. What we see is a trend, mainly due to businesses, often in the manufacturing sector, closing operations for a week or two around this summer holiday each year. Here’s a snapshot of this trend over a three-year period,” states executive director, Dan Ellzey.
Greenville County reported 1,755 new filings; Richland County had 1,349; Spartanburg County had 1,277 new filings; and Charleston County had 1,051.
“While this year’s initial claims total is significantly higher in volume, the percentage increase (20.3%) is significantly lower than 2018 (51%) and 2019 (79%). While an upward trend is not something we ever want to see, we do believe this trend is isolated and isn’t solely pinpointed to impacts from COVID-19,” concluded Ellzey.
Of note:
- From March 15, 2020 to July 14, 2020, the agency has paid more than $3.15 Billion in a combination of South Carolina UI benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (for the self-employed and others), the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation ($600 per week) program, the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (extension of benefits for 13 weeks) program and Extended Benefits (Additional 10 weeks of benefits after PEUC).
- FPUC, which provides an additional $600 per week to eligible claimants, is set to expire after Saturday, July 25, 2020. This expiration date was set in the CARES Act. Additional federal legislation would be needed to extend.
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