Gov. Sanford Issues Statement on Unemployment Rate

Gov. Sanford Issues Statement on Unemployment Rate

Governor Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on South Carolina's unemployment rate:

"As we've said before, while the unemployment number changes from month to month we believe the more significant fact is that there are over 117,000 more people working in South Carolina than there were when 2003 began," Gov. Sanford said. "There continues to be more people working in South Carolina than ever before, and our state is in the top third of all states for job growth for the first three years of this administration. That being said, our unemployment rate continues largely to be a product of our rapidly increasing labor force. Just yesterday, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that according to their most recent data, our state was in the top ten in the nation in population migration. Going forward, our administration will remain focused on improving soil conditions for business growth by working to cut government spending, to lower our tax burden, and to continue to make positive changes to our business environment like lawsuit reform."

The S.C. Employment Security Commission reported today that this month was the largest March employment increase ever reported for our state. The first three years of Gov. Sanford's administration outpaced each previous administration over a comparable time period since the creation of the Department of Commerce. According to a recent report ranking South Carolina's business environment the most business-friendly in the nation, "From A to Z, South Carolina understands economic development and is clearly making the effort to continue its attractiveness to business. When it comes to economic development, it is a state that other states should emulate."

http://www.scgovernor.com/interior.asp?SiteContentId=7&newsid=774&NavId=55&ParentId=0