Central SC has a highly skilled and dedicated workforce that keeps companies productive. We have the state's largest labor pool employed in a variety of industries, including: Manufacturing, Energy, Healthcare, Transportation & Logistics, Information/Insurance Technology, and Finance. Even with a highly skilled workforce the region maintains a low unionization rate, and a low cost of labor, approximately 10% lower than the national average. Furthermore, our state's workforce is nationally recognized as the 6^th best in the nation, according to CNBC's "America's Top States for Business 2011."

Labor, Employment and Population

Labor Force & Employment, Dec. 2011		Median Hourly Wage Rates by Occupation
Labor Force	434,062	All Occupations	$15.56
Employment	395,711	Business & Financial Operations	$24.79
Unemployed	38,360	Computer & Mathematical	$29.03
Unemployment Rate	8.84%	Architectural & Engineering	$29.85
Underemployed in County Labor Shed	Not Available	Construction & Extraction	$15.24
		Production Occupations	$15.07
Weighted Average Weekly Wage	$710	Transportation & Moving	$12.75
Source: BLS, LAUS Dec. 2011, QCEW fourth quarter 2010		Source: BLS, May 2010, Columbia, SC-MSA

According to the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce’s SC Works Online Services, there are 22,000 potential candidates looking for work in the Central SC Region under the Production Occupation group as of October 21^st, 2011.

Existing Industry

Industry Description	NAICS	Employing Units	Employed	AVG Weekly Wage
Total, Private and Government	10	19,226	375,769	$701
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting	11	246	3,431	$660
Construction	23	1,761	14,322	$720
Manufacturing	31-33	731	36,061	$925
Wholesale Trade	42	1,027	12,930	$957
Retail Trade	44-45	3,056	45,612	$428
Finance and Insurance	52	1,273	21,641	$762
Real Estate & Rental Leasing	53	644	4,662	$581
Admin, Support & Waste Management	56	1,021	21,328	$574
Healthcare and Social Assistance	62	1,612	38,346	$632
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation	71	236	3,445	$309
Accomodation & Food Services	72	1,556	32,622	$224
Other Services	81	2,058	10,810	$448
Source: BLS, QCEW, Fourth Quarter 2010.

Workforce & Existing Industry data for Calhoun County, Clarendon County, Fairfield County, Kershaw County, Lexington County, McCormick County, Newberry County, Orangeburg County, Richland County and the City of Columbia is also available.

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For a PDF summary of the region's assets, download the the Central SC Regional Snapshot. For a more comprehensive wage study, download the May 2010 Occupation Employment Survey for the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area.