S.C. initial employment claims rise after holiday-related dip

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After a week that saw a significant drop in initial unemployment claims because of the Thanksgiving holiday, South Carolina reported 1,770 first-time claims for the week ending Dec. 4.  

Claims fell to 776 for the previous week in a dropoff an S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce attributed to several factors, including the tendency of people to be less likely to spend time filing new claims while focused on holiday celebrations. Erica Von Nessen, an economist with DEW, said an aggressive statewide hiring market also likely contributed to the drop, as well as the continued phasing out of federal and other benefits.  

A similar drop in claims is expected over the Christmas holiday, Von Nessen said, as is a post-holiday increase as people experience layoffs from seasonal jobs.  

For the week ending Dec. 4, Horry County saw a state-high 202 first-time claims, while Anderson County had 167 and Greenville County 138, according to DEW data. Cherokee County had 128, Spartanburg County 110 and Richland County 93. 

Nationally, initial unemployment claims dipped by 43,000 from the previous week to 184,000.