SC unemployment drops to 5.7 percent in February

COLUMBIA, S.C. — (AP) South Carolina's unemployment rate fell to 5.7 percent in February.

That's compared with 6.4 percent a month earlier. The Department of Employment and Workforce said Friday that the decline was the biggest one-month drop since officials started keeping track of the data in 1976.

This is the ninth month in a row that jobless rates have gone down in South Carolina.

Nationally, unemployment was 6.7 percent last month. Officials attributed that slight increase to more people entering the job market to look for work.

The financial activities, government and manufacturing sectors went up last month by about 1,600 jobs. Jobs in trade, education and health services and hospitality sectors were down by 5,300.

WSOC