Jobless rate in state rises for March

COLUMBIA — South Carolina's jobless rate increased slightly in March to 5.7 percent, and employment officials said Friday the state's economic outlook was "uncertain at best."

February's 5.5 percent rate had been the lowest since September 2001, but observers saw that figure as a fluke and expected it to rise in March. South Carolina had 123,000 people unemployed in March, up 7,000 from the previous month.

The statistical aberration prompted Gov. Mark Sanford last month to question the reliability of the method used to calculate the unemployment figure.

The Employment Security Commission said high gas prices, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and a possible recession have contributed to the higher unemployment.

"South Carolina's economic outlook is uncertain at best," the commission said.

Those worries also have played havoc with state legislators writing South Carolina's $7 billion budget.

The state has $180 million less to spend than expected, prompting lawmakers to curtail or dump plans to buy school buses, pay for college research projects or put money into economic development and tourism efforts in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

In March the state's hospitality and leisure businesses geared up for the travel and tourism season by adding 8,200 workers.

Construction was the only category with a net job loss during March, giving up 500 jobs as the national housing slump continued.

The overall job count, at 1,949,600, was 10,000 above the year-ago level.

Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties continued to have some of the lowest jobless rates in the state, at 4.2 percent, 5.1 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Statewide, the agency said the level of job growth "remains below the norm for this time of year," adding that projected gains in tourism-related jobs should provide some relief over the next few months.

South Carolina's rate was still above the national unemployment rate of 5.1 percent in March and remains among the nation's highest. Michigan again led the list at 7.2 percent, followed by Alaska and the district of Columbia.

Lexington County's 4 percent jobless rate was the state's lowest; Allendale's 13.2 percent was the highest.