COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Employment and Work Force released the number of unemployment claims, and for the first time since the crisis began, the number of claims say a weekly did.
The new numbers are for the week ending April 18.
According to the report, the advance figures for South Carolina initial claims for unemployment insurance are 73,116, a decrease of 14,570 initial claims from the week prior. This is the first decrease recorded in initial claims since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March of this year. This means that there were 73,116 individuals who both live and work in the state of South Carolina who filed an initial claim during the claim week, April 12, 2020 - April 18, 2020
Jamie Suber, S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Chief of Staff, said, “Our agency is heartened to see the first decrease in initial claims after so many weeks. We hope that this will begin to set a downward trend as individuals who have already filed continue to receive their benefits through this crisis and other claimants receive their funds through some of the additional federal programs we are still implementing. We know that, as a state, we still have much to accomplish before we begin to feel a sense of normalcy, but our agency is actively responding to the needs of individuals and businesses as we work through this together.”
Other information included in the report:
- The agency has paid more than $351 million in a combination of state UI benefits and the CARES Act $600 contribution.
- Over the last five weeks, these payments were made in support of the 341,730 initial claims received.
- Additional programs are being implemented in the system to begin paying federal funds through Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.
- The agency’s call center has been increased by 856 percent. CSRs are working 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday, to help with claims questions. Additionally, staff continue to work extended hours each weekday and through weekends making outbound calls to service the needs of fellow South Carolinians.
- If you are self-employed, a contractor, gig workers, file a 1099 and have already filed for unemployment insurance – you will receive a notification via email or through text messaging (if you opted for SMS texts) with next steps. If you are determined eligible, your funds will be paid retroactively.
- A Chatbot feature has been added to the website to help answer unemployment and COVID-related questions. This enhancement is robust with information about the UI process, federal funds provided through the CARES Act, employer filing and more.
- You can also visit the COVID-19 Resource Hub, dew.sc.gov website or the SC DEW social media platforms for updated information.
