South Carolina Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims Data

Week Ending May 23, 2020

Initial Claims:  For claim week ending May 23, 2020, the number of South Carolinians who filed their initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits is 24,950, a decrease of 4,496 initial claims from the week prior. This means that there were 24,950 individuals, who both live and work in the state of South Carolina, who filed an initial claim during the claim week, May 17, 2020 – May 23, 2020.

County Map (Intrastate)

“While we see another downward-trending week, the number of people filing initial claims in South Carolina is still high, demonstrating the serious importance of the jobs that are now becoming available in our state as more and more businesses re-open their doors carefully and safely,” said Dan Ellzey, Executive Director, S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce.

“Our agency is tasked with offering critical benefits during unemployment and critical services for re-employment. If you are in a position where you know that your layoff was permanent and you need help finding your next job opportunity, please know that our staff and the employees of the SC Works centers throughout the state are here to help,” Ellzey continued. “For instance:

• Representatives in the SC Works centers can help with resume writing and interview skills, and they also have a pulse on hot jobs available in your community. To find the contact information for the closest SC Works Center, visit SCWorks.org and click “Find a Center.”
• Additionally, the SC Works Online Services (SCWOS) portal is a robust and powerful job search engine that is available to search jobs in every industry throughout the state. Visit https://jobs.scworks.org.
• We also have a list of employers hiring statewide right now on the Individual’s page of the COVID-19 Resource Hub,” Ellzey concluded.

Agency Responsiveness:

• From March 15, 2020 to May 23, 2020, the agency has paid more than $1.5 billion in a combination of South Carolina UI benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (for the self-employed and others) and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation ($600 per week) program.
• We launched the third and final federal program, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), on May 27.
• The total number of initial claims received for processing in South Carolina has now reached 540,545.
  • Our call center staff is consistently answering more than 80,000 phone calls each week.

Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday 8 a.m. – Noon

The number to call is 1-866-831-1724.

• The Chatbot feature on dew.sc.gov continues to improve thanks to your input.

About the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce is putting South Carolinians to work. The agency has four missions: (1) workforce development; (2) free job match employment services; (3) unemployment insurance; and (4) labor market information. All four missions contribute to workforce development. The agency is dedicated to advancing South Carolina through services and programs that meet the needs of our businesses, jobseekers and those looking to advance their careers.