While South Carolina’s jobless rate marks a four-month decline, local communities were moving in the opposite direction, including Barnwell County, which has the state’s fifth-worst rate.
Barnwell County jumped from 14.7 percent to 15.3 percent, while Aiken County’s rate rose from 8 percent to 8.5 percent between November to December, and Edgefield County swelled from 8.7 to 9.5 percent unemployment during the same period.
Though Barnwell lost ground in December of last year, its rate is still better than it was a year prior. In December of 2010, the county’s jobless rate was 16.5 percent.
Overall, the state’s unemployment rate fell 0.4 percent to 9.5 percent in December. It is the lowest rate since December 2008 when the rate was 9.2 percent.
South Carolina still fares worse than the nation as a whole, which has consistently had a lower unemployment rate. The national jobless rate declined from 8.7 percent in November to 8.5 percent in December, a full point lower than the Palmetto State.
The labor force declined 3,227 from November to December while the number of employed grew by 4,307, and the number of unemployed fell by 7,534.
On Tuesday, state and local officials announced $5.5 million in new investment in Aiken County. Due to an expansion by Pactiv Corporation, a foodservice and food packaging company, 25 new jobs will be coming to Aiken County over the next three years. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved Pactiv for a $150,000 grant for site preparation, according to a release from the S.C. Department of Commerce.
Figures released Tuesday by the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce from November to December show the industries of trade, transportation and utilities added 1,500 jobs, while manufacturing grew by 1,200, contributing to an increase of 11,600 in manufacturing since last year.  
Leisure and hospitality reported a loss of 3,500, as the tourism season wrapped up, while government jobs were down by 2,800 since November.
Employers and job seekers were urged to use the SC DEW’s free services through the SC Works centers across the state and online at www.scworks.org.