U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Southeast > News Release
News Release Information

25-889-ATL
Friday, May 23, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

South Carolina Job Openings and Labor Turnover — March 2025

South Carolina had 117,000 job openings in March 2025, compared to 120,000 openings in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the job openings rate in South Carolina was 4.6 percent in March and 4.8 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.3 percent in March and 4.5 percent in February. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.

  Chart 1. Line chart of job openings as a percent of employment for the United States and South Carolina, seasonally adjusted. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in South Carolina was 0.9 in March. Nationwide, 34 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in March that were lower than the national ratio of 1.0 unemployed persons per job opening; 12 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 4 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)

Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, March 2025, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 1.0)

 

In March, South Carolina had 97,000 hires and 79,000 separations, compared to 102,000 hires and 90,000 separations in February. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in March, hires have averaged 103,000 per month and separations have averaged 95,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

  Chart 2. Line chart of hires and total separations in South Carolina, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Among the March separations in South Carolina, 56,000 were quits and 20,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 60,000 quits and 26,000 layoffs and discharges in February. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 63,000 per month, ranging from 55,000 to 73,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 28,000 per month, ranging from 20,000 to 37,000.

  Chart 3. Line chart of quits and layoffs and discharges in South Carolina, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for April 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Upcoming Revisions to the JOLTS State Estimates

Effective with the release of May 2025 data on July 23, 2025, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates will incorporate the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, updated Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and updated Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2020 forward are subject to revision. In addition, 2024 annual estimates for states will be released at this time.


Technical Note

This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based, incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology.

Job Openings. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets all three of these conditions:

  • A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
  • The job could start within 30 days.
  • The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.

The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.

Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.

Separations. Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and is reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.

  • Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations.
  • Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer.
  • Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.

Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.

Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover 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. Job openings and labor turnover for South Carolina, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
EstimateMarch 2024December 2024January 2025February 2025March 2025(p)Change from February 2025 to March 2025(p)

Openings

159134132120117-3

Hires

11410010710297-5

Total separations

82105929079-11

Quits

5370606056-4

Layoffs & discharges

2431262620-6

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.

Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for South Carolina, seasonally adjusted
EstimateMarch 2024December 2024January 2025February 2025March 2025(p)Change from February 2025 to March 2025(p)

Openings(1)

6.35.35.24.84.6-0.2

Hires(2)

4.84.24.54.34.0-0.3

Total separations(3)

3.54.43.93.83.3-0.5

Quits(3)

2.22.92.52.52.3-0.2

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.01.31.11.10.8-0.3

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.

Table 3. Job openings and labor turnover rates for the United States, seasonally adjusted
EstimateMarch 2024December 2024January 2025February 2025March 2025(p)Change from February 2025 to March 2025(p)

Openings(1)

4.94.54.74.54.3-0.2

Hires(2)

3.53.43.43.43.40.0

Total separations(3)

3.33.23.33.33.2-0.1

Quits(3)

2.11.92.02.02.10.1

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.01.11.11.11.0-0.1

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, May 23, 2025