BLS - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

22/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 22/08/2024 22:29

South Carolina Job Openings and Labor Turnover — June 2024

South Carolina had 148,000 job openings in June 2024, compared to 159,000 openings in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the job openings rate in South Carolina was 5.9 percent in June and 6.3 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.9 percent in June, unchanged from May. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.

The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in South Carolina was 0.6 in June. Nationwide, 36 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in June that were lower than the national measure of 0.8 unemployed persons per job opening; 9 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 5 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)

Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, June 2024, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 0.8)

In June, South Carolina had 104,000 hires and 104,000 separations, compared to 108,000 hires and 94,000 separations in May. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in June, hires have averaged 108,000 per month and separations have averaged 96,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

View Chart Data

Among the June separations in South Carolina, 73,000 were quits and 24,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 67,000 quits and 23,000 layoffs and discharges in May. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 66,000 per month, ranging from 53,000 to 74,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 26,000 per month, ranging from 19,000 to 35,000.

View Chart Data

State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for July 2024 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Annual Revisions to Job Openings and Labor Turnover State Data

The JOLTS state data are revised annually to reflect updates to the JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) through fourth quarter 2023. This annual benchmarking process results in revisions to both the seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted JOLTS state data series. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision.

Tables displaying revisions to seasonally adjusted JOLTS state data for the most recent benchmark period are available on the JOLTS website. The website also contains all revised seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data.


Technical Note

This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based, incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology.

Job Openings. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets all three of these conditions:

  • A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
  • The job could start within 30 days.
  • The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.

The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.

Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.

Separations. Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and is reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.

  • Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations.
  • Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer.
  • Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.

Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.

Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Estimate June 2023 March 2024 April 2024 May 2024 June 2024 Change from May 2024 to June 2024

Openings

161 159 159 159 148 -11

Hires

112 114 117 108 104 -4

Total separations

92 82 96 94 104 10

Quits

67 53 66 67 73 6

Layoffs & discharges

21 24 25 23 24 1
Estimate June 2023 March 2024 April 2024 May 2024 June 2024 Change from May 2024 to June 2024

Openings

6.5 6.3 6.3 6.3 5.9 -0.4

Hires

4.9 4.8 4.9 4.5 4.4 -0.1

Total separations

4.0 3.5 4.1 4.0 4.4 0.4

Quits

2.9 2.2 2.8 2.8 3.1 0.3

Layoffs & discharges

0.9 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.0
Estimate June 2023 March 2024 April 2024 May 2024 June 2024 Change from May 2024 to June 2024

Openings

5.5 5.0 4.8 4.9 4.9 0.0

Hires

3.8 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.4 -0.2

Total separations

3.6 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.2 -0.2

Quits

2.4 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 0.0

Layoffs & discharges

1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 0.9 -0.2