The seasonally adjusted number of South Carolina workers in March increased to 2,532,080.
That is an increase of 7,337 people over the February 2026 estimate, and an increase of 49,991 people over the March 2025 estimate.
The state’s estimated labor force (people working plus unemployed people looking for work) increased to 2,663,399 while the labor force participation rate was unchanged at 58.9 percent.
That is an increase of 5,323 people over the February 2026 estimate. That is a significant increase of 73,740 individuals over the March 2025 estimate.
The estimate of unemployed people increased to 131,319. That is a decrease of 2,014 people from the February estimate and a significant increase of 23,749 from the March 2025 estimate.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 4.9 percent. The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 percent, according to the Current Population survey.
"South Carolina continued to add to both its labor force and employment numbers in March 2026, with the number of residents working reaching a new all-time high of 2,532,080. Over the past year, the state’s labor force has increased by over 73,400 people, which has increased the labor force participation rate to 58.9 percent," said South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW) Executive Director William Floyd.
“The estimated number of unemployed individuals in the state dropped slightly month-over-month resulting in the unemployment rate dropping 0.1 percentage points to 4.9 percent,” Floyd said.
“In terms of industry employment, job growth was once again concentrated in the service sector, including strong year-over-year growth in health care and social assistance, other services, private educational services, and accommodation and food services. In the goods sector over the past year, the construction industry added 2,600 jobs while manufacturing increased by 1,900,” Floyd added.
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