Nearly half of SC people who can work aren’t, new state figures show. A survey has 5 reasons why

A recent state survey shows that almost half of the unemployed in South Carolina aren't looking for work.

The unemployment rate in South Carolina in November was 43.6%, the Department of Employment and Workforce announced on Friday. According to the latest statistics, low pay and lack of transportation are some of the reasons why people give up on finding a job in South Carolina.

Dan Ellzey, executive director for the department, said in a Friday press release that the state's labor force participation rate continues to have their attention.

There is a labor force participation rate.

There are more than 100,000 open jobs in the state. The state has a low unemployment rate. The unemployment rate only takes into account people who are actively looking for a job.

There are many opportunities in manufacturing, construction, retail, transportation, warehousing, restaurants, healthcare, business, I.T. and more. Since the beginning of the Pandemic, hourly wages have increased by 3% and 13.7%, and many businesses are willing to train workers.

A survey commissioned by the department in September could shed some light on why some people in the state aren't looking for work. The purpose of the survey was to identify the residents who were not working and the barriers that prevented them from getting a job.

More than 6,000 people responded to the survey to find out if they were employed in the state in the year 2020 and not present in the wage data.

The people who responded to the survey said that they could work.

A survey shows that current work status is not consistent across demographic groups, with higher percentages of women, Black residents, those with less than a college degree and rural counties in the not working but available to work category.

There are many reasons why it is difficult to work in the state.

• Good paying jobs are hard to find.

• There are gaps in employment histories.

• It's more optimal to work later in the day.

• There isn't a lot of transportation.

• People with disabilities.

Better paying jobs, work closer to home and more flexible work hours would get more people back to work, according to a survey. The survey states that work closer to home was important for those in rural areas.

Better communication and opportunities for work, along with efforts toward providing better child care and transportation, would have a significant impact on getting people back to work.