Census data shows where jobs grew exiting recession

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released some data that reveals trends from when the economic recovery was gaining momentum in South Carolina.

The data covers types and sizes of businesses during 2012 and 2013, the most recent years available. In South Carolina, sectors where there was growth in the number of businesses included the following:

• Professional scientific and technical services (up by 142 businesses)
• Accommodation and food services (up 138)
• Real estate and rental and leasing (up 80)

The number of businesses decreased in sectors such as finance/insurance and manufacturing. However, the number of workers employed in those sectors increased.

Finance/insurance added 1,827 workers, while 2,092 jobs were created in manufacturing. Also adding a healthy number of jobs in 2012-13 were wholesale trade (3,118 workers) and accommodation and food services (5,712).

The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce also tracks job gains by industry. Their data set isn’t exactly the same as the Census Bureau’s but has the benefit of being more recent.

By comparison, DEW reported job gains in the following sectors between August 2015-16:

• Professional and business services: 13,100
• Financial activities: 3,700
• Leisure and hospitality: 2,100
• Manufacturing: 2,000

As of 2013, there were 92,822 businesses in the Palmetto State. That figure was up less than two tenths of 1 percent from 2012. Nationally, the growth rate was slightly less than six tenths of 1 percent.

Looking at the sizes of businesses where gains occurred, there was a drop nationally in the number of business with between 20-99 workers, but gains in businesses that employed greater or fewer than that number of workers. In South Carolina, there was a slight gain (6 businesses) in the 20-99-worker category, and slightly larger gains in all others.