SC

SC Workforce Inches Up

GOOD NEWS … BUT STATE’S CITIZENS STILL STRUGGLING || By FITSNEWS ||  South Carolina’s labor participation rate stood at 59.2 percent in March, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  That’s up nearly a full percentage point from last year – although it remains one of…

GOOD NEWS … BUT STATE’S CITIZENS STILL STRUGGLING

|| By FITSNEWS ||  South Carolina’s labor participation rate stood at 59.2 percent in March, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).  That’s up nearly a full percentage point from last year – although it remains one of the lowest rates in the nation.

In fact only six states – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky Mississippi, New Mexico and West Virginia – feature smaller workforces as a percentage of population than South Carolina.  And South Carolina’s rate is more than three full percentage points below the national rate, which is hovering at four-decade lows.

Labor participation is a critical measure of economic health because it shows what percentage of a state’s working age citizens are employed.  In South Carolina, 2.2 million of the state’s 3.7 million working age citizens had jobs last month.  When S.C. governor Nikki Haley took office, 2.1 million of the state’s 3.5 million working age citizens were employed – a 60.1 percent labor participation rate.

Now … labor participation obviously doesn’t measure job quality, but a quick look at South Carolina’s income situation should tell us all we need to know about that.

The bottom line on all this is simple: The Palmetto State’s workforce remains one of the smallest and poorest in America, which ought to be ample evidence that our current approach to economic development (i.e. bribing large corporations with tax breaks and deficit spending) isn’t working.

Oh, and our workforce also remains one of the nation’s dumbest, which ought to be ample evidence that our current approach to education isn’t working, either.

But we already knew that, didn’t we?

On both counts, it is past time our state tried something new.

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14 comments

GrandTango April 23, 2015 at 12:10 pm

This country’s economy is SICK. Housing numbers were disappointing AGAIN. Half the states have BAD unemployment numbers…and any good job numbers do not mention that so many people – counted as employed – are under-employed or PT…

By using the F*#ked Up National Economy to try to attack Haley just proves FITS to be a worthless, low-life Piece of $#!t…

People are suffering. We have been for six-plus years…and ignorant Mother-F*#kers in the “media” (if you can call FITS that)…are next-to Criminal by misrepresenting reality…

There is Freedom of Speech. And that includes the right for Dumb#$$#$, like FITS, to lie…but that does not mean he does not need his @$$ kicked for running interference for Obama…and the HORRIBLE damage the Democrats have done to our nation….

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InLoveWithObama April 23, 2015 at 12:37 pm

Obama, Obama
Tango’s heart’s on fire, for Obama

Giddy up, Obama, Obama, mow mow
Giddy up, Obama, Obama mow mow, heigh-ho Hillary, away

Appoligies to The Oak Ridge Boys

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GrandTango April 23, 2015 at 1:38 pm

You said you wanted the job. You got it…now all you do is run from who, and what, you are.

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Grand Dog Tango April 23, 2015 at 2:38 pm

Bari, bark, bark…Good Boy! Now sit and clean your ass.

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GrandTango April 23, 2015 at 2:53 pm

Blind and Ignorant much?…LMAO….

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idiotwind April 23, 2015 at 12:13 pm

i don’t get this obsession with labor participation rate. who says these people want to work? people are not economic units and thinking about them that way is the very essence of fascism.

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FastEddy23 April 23, 2015 at 1:55 pm

“… In South Carolina, 2.2 million of the state’s 3.7 million working age citizens had jobs last month. …”

The operative word there: citizens.

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Bible Thumper April 23, 2015 at 5:52 pm

Praise the Lord! You finally decided to report South Carolina monthly employment data for the first time since November’s release of October data that you reported on December 02, 2014.
https://www.fitsnews.com/2014/12/02/sc-labor-participation-inches/

In South Carolina, 2.2 million of the state’s 3.7 million working age citizens had jobs last month. When S.C. governor Nikki Haley took office, 2.1 million of the state’s 3.5 million working age citizens were employed – a 60.1 percent labor participation rate.

Correction: 2,096,110 had jobs last month of the states 16+ (non-military, prison and nursing home) population of 3,796,632. Your 2.2 million includes those looking for work. Dividing gives an “Employment ratio” of 55.2%. When Haley took office 1,930,630 had jobs of a population of 3,596,152 for a “Employment ratio” of 53.7%. So while the Worker participation rate has declined 0.9% since Haley took office the “Employment ratio” has improved 1.5%.

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Ted April 23, 2015 at 6:33 pm

SC is 45 in the nation in employment. People in SC are poorer than people in most other state average. People in SC are less healthy than people in most other states. Haley sucks as a governor. Republicans suck at running government. .

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shifty henry April 23, 2015 at 10:39 pm

The teacher in Johnny’s school asked the class what their parents did for a living. One little girl said her father was a doctor, another said her mother was an engineer. When it was Little Johnny’s turn, he stood up and said “My mom’s a whore.”

Naturally, after that remark, he got sent off to the principal’s office. Then, 15 minutes later, he returned. So the teacher asked “Did you tell the principal what you said in class?”

Johnny said, “Yes.”

“Well, what did the principal say?”

“He said that every job is important in our economy, gave me a pocket full of candy and asked for our phone number …”

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Get It Right April 23, 2015 at 6:53 pm

Why hell yeah …. South Carolina’s workforce is one of the dumbest. Its so dumb that dumb people who write about SC dumb workforce sometimes fur-get that most of SC workforce aint eve-in frum SC. For shore. Why ifs a smart purr son was wee-lee smart dats rights bout SC workforce, they wud figgy it out, that most of SC workforce are the dumb mudda fudda rejects from other steaks, like Maryland, Ohio, New Yack, Massa-my-douche-ass, and like Kenfuckee and Virgina. And lets knot fergets Illinois. Now dems peoples be some really dumb sum batches. Especially down around the stinky armpit of that state in southwest Illinois.
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Yeah, so be four anyone attempts to write on dis subject of SC workforce, they be need to remind themselves dat aint many native South Carolinians around much anymore. Moreso when you factor in the swelling ILLEGAL cockroach population witt it.

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FastEddy23 April 25, 2015 at 11:08 am

One thing I don’t quite get is why you all are so hard on yourselves.

Look here. 90% of any job is just showing up, clean and sober, ready to do what the boss wants done … If one is unwilling or unable, well ok, but I’m betting that most South Carolina workers would not have it any other way.

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inciteful April 24, 2015 at 9:50 am

SOO,…anyone know the status of the lawsuit against Cheryl Stanton, Director of SCDEW? FITS reported this labor lawyer was sued by her HR manager for dedficient labor practices,…not a great start for her reign. Her office was also the suject of a recent audit from the federal Department of Labor for illegal practices. That audit ought to be an interesting read. That audit ought to be a ripe subject for a Slick Willie FOIA.

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FastEddy23 April 24, 2015 at 1:38 pm

Speaking of the general state of employment in SC:

“Union cancels Boeing vote, claiming gun-toting workers told it to take off” – Fox Snooze ( http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/04/24/union-cancels-boeing-vote-says-gun-toting-workers-told-it-to-take-off/ )

Just saying.

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