Tuesday, January 25, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Unemployment in South Carolina edged up slightly in December, rising to 10.7 percent.

The Department of Employment and Workforce said Tuesday that South Carolina's jobless rate increased from 10.6 percent in November.

Total employment increased by nearly 4,400 last month, but it wasn't enough to drop the jobless rate.

The national unemployment rate in December was 9.4 percent.

Most of the increase came in retail, education and health, and professional and business services. The biggest drops came in tourism-related businesses.

Marion County had the highest unemployment rate in December at 19.7 percent. Lexington County had the lowest rate at 8 percent.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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