Business Employment Dynamics in South Carolina — First Quarter 2024

From December 2023 to March 2024, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments in South Carolina were 123,861, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments were 120,378, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 3,483 jobs in the private sector during the first quarter of 2024. During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 17,524. (See chart 1.)

Chart 1. Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in South Carolina, March 2019 to March 2024, seasonally adjusted. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in South Carolina, March 2019–March 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Mar. 2019	115,667	113,498
Jun. 2019	114,585	107,505
Sep. 2019	105,450	103,506
Dec. 2019	114,426	105,179
Mar. 2020	100,185	117,630
Jun. 2020	86,167	244,276
Sep. 2020	144,855	97,181
Dec. 2020	135,232	88,580
Mar. 2021	110,642	103,080
Jun. 2021	109,057	109,801
Sep. 2021	124,648	104,170
Dec. 2021	139,215	93,661
Mar. 2022	128,243	110,402
Jun. 2022	118,795	111,565
Sep. 2022	133,312	103,678
Dec. 2022	128,969	115,843
Mar. 2023	126,532	110,072
Jun. 2023	119,860	123,341
Sep. 2023	124,869	106,590
Dec. 2023	118,122	100,598
Mar. 2024	123,861	120,378

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the first quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 6.4 percent of private-sector employment in South Carolina; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.7 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In South Carolina, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 96,384 in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 3,362 jobs compared to the previous quarter. (See table 1.) Opening establishments accounted for 27,477 jobs gained in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 2,377 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and South Carolina, March 2019–March 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	South Carolina	United States
Mar. 2019	6.6	5.9
Jun. 2019	6.5	6.1
Sep. 2019	6.0	5.9
Dec. 2019	6.4	6.2
Mar. 2020	5.7	5.5
Jun. 2020	5.1	4.8
Sep. 2020	8.8	9.5
Dec. 2020	8.0	7.4
Mar. 2021	6.4	6.9
Jun. 2021	6.3	6.8
Sep. 2021	7.1	7.3
Dec. 2021	7.9	7.7
Mar. 2022	7.1	6.7
Jun. 2022	6.6	6.5
Sep. 2022	7.2	6.9
Dec. 2022	7.0	6.3
Mar. 2023	6.8	6.3
Jun. 2023	6.4	6.2
Sep. 2023	6.6	5.9
Dec. 2023	6.2	6.0
Mar. 2024	6.4	5.7

Gross job losses

In the first quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 6.3 percent of private-sector employment in South Carolina; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.4 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In South Carolina, contracting establishments lost 93,940 jobs in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 12,676 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 26,438 jobs, an increase of 7,104 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and South Carolina, March 2019–March 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	South Carolina	United States
Mar. 2019	6.4	5.6
Jun. 2019	6.1	5.9
Sep. 2019	5.9	5.8
Dec. 2019	5.9	5.5
Mar. 2020	6.6	6.3
Jun. 2020	14.4	16.8
Sep. 2020	5.9	5.9
Dec. 2020	5.2	5.7
Mar. 2021	6.0	5.5
Jun. 2021	6.3	5.9
Sep. 2021	6.0	6.1
Dec. 2021	5.3	5.4
Mar. 2022	6.1	5.5
Jun. 2022	6.1	6.2
Sep. 2022	5.6	5.9
Dec. 2022	6.3	5.9
Mar. 2023	5.9	5.5
Jun. 2023	6.6	5.9
Sep. 2023	5.7	6.0
Dec. 2023	5.3	5.7
Mar. 2024	6.3	5.4

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 6 of the 11 industry sectors in South Carolina in the first quarter of 2024. Education and health services had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 1,884 jobs. This was the result of 15,821 gross job gains and 13,937 gross job losses. The retail trade industry had a net gain of 1,876 jobs, followed by manufacturing with a net gain of 1,674 jobs. Transportation and warehousing showed a net loss of 1,896 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. South Carolina’s financial activities industry sector had a net loss of 1,306 jobs.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics Home.

The Business Employment Dynamics for Second Quarter 2024 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

Data in this release contain annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. These revisions include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.

Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, South Carolina, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	126,532	119,860	124,869	118,122	123,861	6.8	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.4
At expanding establishments	98,465	93,561	94,869	93,022	96,384	5.3	5.0	5.0	4.9	5.0
At opening establishments	28,067	26,299	30,000	25,100	27,477	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.3	1.4
Gross job losses	110,072	123,341	106,590	100,598	120,378	5.9	6.6	5.7	5.3	6.3
At contracting establishments	87,942	96,953	86,569	81,264	93,940	4.7	5.2	4.6	4.3	4.9
At closing establishments	22,130	26,388	20,021	19,334	26,438	1.2	1.4	1.1	1.0	1.4
Net employment change (2)	16,460	-3,481	18,279	17,524	3,483	0.9	-0.2	0.9	0.9	0.1
Construction
Gross job gains	8,067	8,442	8,997	7,726	8,476	7.3	7.5	8.0	6.7	7.3
At expanding establishments	6,053	6,300	6,392	5,764	6,492	5.5	5.6	5.7	5.0	5.6
At opening establishments	2,014	2,142	2,605	1,962	1,984	1.8	1.9	2.3	1.7	1.7
Gross job losses	7,146	8,042	7,181	6,067	7,786	6.5	7.2	6.4	5.3	6.7
At contracting establishments	5,164	5,692	5,522	4,661	5,711	4.7	5.1	4.9	4.1	4.9
At closing establishments	1,982	2,350	1,659	1,406	2,075	1.8	2.1	1.5	1.2	1.8
Net employment change (2)	921	400	1,816	1,659	690	0.8	0.3	1.6	1.4	0.6
Manufacturing
Gross job gains	9,182	8,308	7,924	7,641	10,135	3.5	3.1	3.0	2.9	3.8
At expanding establishments	7,504	7,217	7,124	6,657	8,431	2.9	2.7	2.7	2.5	3.2
At opening establishments	1,678	1,091	800	984	1,704	0.6	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.6
Gross job losses	8,570	8,491	7,542	8,134	8,461	3.2	3.3	2.8	3.1	3.2
At contracting establishments	7,663	7,539	6,901	7,277	6,720	2.9	2.9	2.6	2.8	2.5
At closing establishments	907	952	641	857	1,741	0.3	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.7
Net employment change (2)	612	-183	382	-493	1,674	0.3	-0.2	0.2	-0.2	0.6
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	4,350	4,325	3,977	4,298	4,378	5.3	5.3	4.8	5.2	5.3
At expanding establishments	3,619	3,566	3,098	3,322	3,319	4.4	4.4	3.7	4.0	4.0
At opening establishments	731	759	879	976	1,059	0.9	0.9	1.1	1.2	1.3
Gross job losses	3,611	3,620	3,170	3,781	3,952	4.4	4.4	3.8	4.5	4.8
At contracting establishments	2,805	2,684	2,639	2,862	2,808	3.4	3.3	3.2	3.4	3.4
At closing establishments	806	936	531	919	1,144	1.0	1.1	0.6	1.1	1.4
Net employment change (2)	739	705	807	517	426	0.9	0.9	1.0	0.7	0.5
Retail trade
Gross job gains	15,242	15,066	13,534	13,467	15,540	5.7	5.6	5.1	5.1	5.8
At expanding establishments	13,022	13,066	11,112	10,939	13,220	4.9	4.9	4.2	4.1	4.9
At opening establishments	2,220	2,000	2,422	2,528	2,320	0.8	0.7	0.9	1.0	0.9
Gross job losses	13,303	14,824	13,985	13,015	13,664	5.0	5.6	5.3	4.9	5.1
At contracting establishments	11,351	12,688	12,183	11,173	11,525	4.3	4.8	4.6	4.2	4.3
At closing establishments	1,952	2,136	1,802	1,842	2,139	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.8
Net employment change (2)	1,939	242	-451	452	1,876	0.7	0.0	-0.2	0.2	0.7
Transportation and warehousing
Gross job gains	4,637	4,291	4,512	6,557	4,127	5.5	5.3	5.6	8.0	5.1
At expanding establishments	3,970	3,592	3,584	5,658	3,178	4.7	4.4	4.4	6.9	3.9
At opening establishments	667	699	928	899	949	0.8	0.9	1.2	1.1	1.2
Gross job losses	6,334	5,887	4,314	3,886	6,023	7.5	7.2	5.4	4.7	7.3
At contracting establishments	5,712	5,062	3,597	3,295	5,304	6.8	6.2	4.5	4.0	6.4
At closing establishments	622	825	717	591	719	0.7	1.0	0.9	0.7	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-1,697	-1,596	198	2,671	-1,896	-2.0	-1.9	0.2	3.3	-2.2
Information
Gross job gains	1,785	1,846	1,711	1,915	1,424	6.0	6.3	5.9	6.7	5.0
At expanding establishments	1,282	1,283	1,181	1,375	1,080	4.3	4.4	4.1	4.8	3.8
At opening establishments	503	563	530	540	344	1.7	1.9	1.8	1.9	1.2
Gross job losses	1,982	2,393	1,659	1,792	2,015	6.8	8.2	5.7	6.2	7.1
At contracting establishments	1,435	1,583	1,217	1,321	1,469	4.9	5.4	4.2	4.6	5.2
At closing establishments	547	810	442	471	546	1.9	2.8	1.5	1.6	1.9
Net employment change (2)	-197	-547	52	123	-591	-0.8	-1.9	0.2	0.5	-2.1
Financial activities
Gross job gains	6,781	7,136	6,734	6,447	6,509	5.9	6.2	5.7	5.5	5.5
At expanding establishments	5,172	5,437	4,829	4,770	4,748	4.5	4.7	4.1	4.1	4.0
At opening establishments	1,609	1,699	1,905	1,677	1,761	1.4	1.5	1.6	1.4	1.5
Gross job losses	5,510	6,035	5,150	5,387	7,815	4.8	5.2	4.4	4.6	6.6
At contracting establishments	3,740	4,505	3,987	3,895	5,676	3.3	3.9	3.4	3.3	4.8
At closing establishments	1,770	1,530	1,163	1,492	2,139	1.5	1.3	1.0	1.3	1.8
Net employment change (2)	1,271	1,101	1,584	1,060	-1,306	1.1	1.0	1.3	0.9	-1.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	25,873	24,993	27,056	21,811	24,628	8.3	8.1	8.7	7.0	7.9
At expanding establishments	19,313	17,884	20,294	16,641	19,207	6.2	5.8	6.5	5.3	6.2
At opening establishments	6,560	7,109	6,762	5,170	5,421	2.1	2.3	2.2	1.7	1.7
Gross job losses	23,397	27,898	23,212	22,600	23,684	7.6	9.0	7.5	7.2	7.6
At contracting establishments	18,208	21,969	17,924	17,487	17,676	5.9	7.1	5.8	5.6	5.7
At closing establishments	5,189	5,929	5,288	5,113	6,008	1.7	1.9	1.7	1.6	1.9
Net employment change (2)	2,476	-2,905	3,844	-789	944	0.7	-0.9	1.2	-0.2	0.3
Education and health services
Gross job gains	16,860	17,129	16,037	14,606	15,821	6.6	6.6	6.1	5.4	5.8
At expanding establishments	12,808	13,447	12,168	11,415	12,718	5.0	5.2	4.6	4.2	4.7
At opening establishments	4,052	3,682	3,869	3,191	3,103	1.6	1.4	1.5	1.2	1.1
Gross job losses	12,277	11,931	11,934	10,728	13,937	4.8	4.6	4.5	4.0	5.1
At contracting establishments	9,462	8,588	9,304	8,309	10,583	3.7	3.3	3.5	3.1	3.9
At closing establishments	2,815	3,343	2,630	2,419	3,354	1.1	1.3	1.0	0.9	1.2
Net employment change (2)	4,583	5,198	4,103	3,878	1,884	1.8	2.0	1.6	1.4	0.7
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	26,683	23,117	27,590	26,939	26,524	9.6	8.4	10.0	9.6	9.2
At expanding establishments	20,761	17,975	20,425	21,646	19,519	7.5	6.5	7.4	7.7	6.8
At opening establishments	5,922	5,142	7,165	5,293	7,005	2.1	1.9	2.6	1.9	2.4
Gross job losses	22,780	27,783	23,683	20,356	26,614	8.2	10.0	8.6	7.2	9.3
At contracting establishments	18,492	22,161	19,830	17,297	21,670	6.7	8.0	7.2	6.1	7.6
At closing establishments	4,288	5,622	3,853	3,059	4,944	1.5	2.0	1.4	1.1	1.7
Net employment change (2)	3,903	-4,666	3,907	6,583	-90	1.4	-1.6	1.4	2.4	-0.1
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	5,395	4,341	5,173	5,037	4,703	9.6	7.6	9.0	8.4	7.8
At expanding establishments	3,761	3,108	3,398	3,543	3,188	6.7	5.4	5.9	5.9	5.3
At opening establishments	1,634	1,233	1,775	1,494	1,515	2.9	2.2	3.1	2.5	2.5
Gross job losses	3,857	4,427	3,764	3,601	4,968	6.9	7.7	6.5	6.0	8.3
At contracting establishments	2,856	2,933	2,768	2,623	3,615	5.1	5.1	4.8	4.4	6.0
At closing establishments	1,001	1,494	996	978	1,353	1.8	2.6	1.7	1.6	2.3
Net employment change (2)	1,538	-86	1,409	1,436	-265	2.7	-0.1	2.5	2.4	-0.5
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	Mar. 2023	June 2023	Sept. 2023	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024
United States(1)	6.3	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.9	6.0	5.7	5.4
Alabama	6.5	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.5
Alaska	10.5	11.0	8.5	10.2	10.5	8.6	8.9	10.5	9.9	8.6
Arizona	6.0	7.0	6.8	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	5.7	6.6	6.4
Arkansas	5.8	5.9	5.6	6.2	5.6	5.1	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.2
California	6.3	6.8	6.4	6.4	5.8	6.6	6.4	6.5	6.4	5.6
Colorado	7.2	7.3	5.4	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.5	6.1	7.6	7.7
Connecticut	6.2	6.4	5.8	5.6	5.6	5.1	5.7	6.2	5.7	5.2
Delaware	6.7	6.4	6.0	6.1	6.0	5.2	5.8	6.5	5.8	5.1
District of Columbia	6.0	5.4	5.4	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.3	5.4	5.6	4.9
Florida	6.3	6.8	6.5	6.1	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.9	5.4
Georgia	6.5	6.3	6.1	6.2	6.0	6.0	6.4	6.1	5.7	5.7
Hawaii	5.6	5.7	5.3	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.3	6.8	5.0	5.1
Idaho	7.9	7.8	7.2	8.5	7.9	7.3	7.4	7.9	5.8	8.3
Illinois	5.8	5.4	4.8	5.0	5.1	4.8	5.2	5.3	5.1	4.8
Indiana	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.1	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.0
Iowa	6.1	6.0	5.6	6.1	6.1	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7	5.6
Kansas	6.1	6.1	5.7	5.8	5.7	5.4	6.0	6.0	5.3	5.6
Kentucky	6.1	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	4.9	5.9	5.6	5.2	5.0
Louisiana	6.5	6.0	6.2	6.3	6.2	5.5	6.5	6.0	5.8	5.7
Maine	7.8	7.6	7.0	7.4	7.2	6.3	7.6	7.8	7.0	6.1
Maryland	7.2	6.7	6.3	6.2	5.8	6.0	6.6	6.4	5.8	5.7
Massachusetts	5.8	5.9	5.4	5.5	5.2	4.9	5.6	5.9	5.5	5.1
Michigan	5.8	5.9	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.0	5.3	5.9	5.5	5.2
Minnesota	5.8	6.0	3.3	6.9	5.8	4.8	5.5	4.3	6.9	5.7
Mississippi	6.5	6.4	6.2	6.1	5.7	6.1	6.5	6.2	5.7	6.1
Missouri	6.5	5.8	5.6	6.0	5.7	5.1	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.3
Montana	8.7	7.8	7.7	8.8	8.1	7.2	8.4	8.4	7.2	7.5
Nebraska	6.5	6.2	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.2	5.7	5.9	5.7	5.1
Nevada	6.2	6.5	6.5	6.7	5.9	5.8	5.9	5.6	5.4	6.2
New Hampshire	7.0	6.7	5.8	6.2	6.5	5.9	6.3	6.7	5.9	5.8
New Jersey	6.3	6.4	6.0	5.9	5.5	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.8	5.4
New Mexico	7.0	6.6	6.4	6.9	6.0	5.8	6.3	6.8	5.8	6.0
New York	6.5	6.2	5.8	5.7	5.9	5.2	5.8	6.0	5.6	5.0
North Carolina	6.6	6.1	5.7	6.3	5.4	5.3	5.7	6.1	4.9	5.5
North Dakota	7.6	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.9	5.7	6.7	6.6	6.3	6.1
Ohio	6.0	5.6	5.2	5.4	5.5	4.8	5.6	5.6	5.2	4.8
Oklahoma	6.3	6.3	6.3	6.1	5.6	5.4	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.2
Oregon	7.6	6.4	6.1	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	6.7	6.2	6.1
Pennsylvania	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.1	4.7	5.5	5.1	4.8	4.6
Rhode Island	7.4	6.7	6.4	6.8	6.9	5.9	6.8	6.7	6.3	5.7
South Carolina	6.8	6.4	6.6	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.6	5.7	5.3	6.3
South Dakota	7.3	6.7	6.3	6.6	6.3	5.9	6.0	6.3	5.8	5.8
Tennessee	5.9	5.8	5.6	6.2	5.5	5.0	5.5	5.7	5.5	4.9
Texas	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.1	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1
Utah	7.0	6.9	6.9	6.6	6.7	6.3	6.4	6.6	6.5	6.0
Vermont	8.4	7.4	6.4	7.3	7.2	6.0	7.5	7.9	6.6	6.3
Virginia	6.2	6.1	5.9	5.9	5.7	5.2	5.9	6.0	5.5	5.2
Washington	6.6	6.1	5.8	6.0	5.7	6.3	5.7	6.0	5.4	5.3
West Virginia	7.3	6.1	6.5	6.5	6.9	5.5	6.4	6.6	5.8	5.7
Wisconsin	6.1	5.6	5.2	5.5	5.5	4.8	5.8	5.8	5.2	4.8
Wyoming	9.0	8.4	8.3	8.9	8.4	7.8	8.7	8.2	8.4	8.3
Puerto Rico	5.1	5.9	5.7	4.9	5.4	5.8	5.0	5.3	4.8	4.6
Virgin Islands	7.9	7.5	8.2	6.0	5.6	7.4	6.5	6.8	5.9	4.5
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, November 07, 2024

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Business Employment Dynamics in South Carolina — First Quarter 2024