Here’s Horry County’s latest unemployment situation as tourism season kicks off
More than 10,000 Horry County residents sought unemployment benefits for the first time in one week at the start of April.
But on Thursday, the Department of Employment and Workforce announced that for the past week ending in May 16, Horry County’s new unemployment claims dropped to 1,999. In fact, for the past month Horry County has seen fewer and fewer residents seek benefits each week as hotels, restaurants and salons reopen.
Horry County ranks among the highest in the state in total unemployment claims since the pandemic began. Over the last nine weeks, 52,887 residents applied for unemployment benefits.
Although, unlike in past weeks, Horry County’s new unemployment filings were lower than Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg and Richland counties, according to DEW’s latest update.
Greenville County leads the state with 55,666 total claims filed.
In South Carolina, more than 515,000 people sought unemployment since March and more than $1.35 billion has been paid out. These numbers only reflect those who have applied for benefits, not everyone currently receiving them.
To file an unemployment claim, visit DEW’s website or call 1-866-831-1724.
As businesses open, however, many workers will be required to return or risk losing their unemployment benefits. DEW created a form for employers to fill out, notifying the unemployment office if a worker refused to return after offered their old job.
The form asks information about the job, the shift hours offered and why the employee said they could not return. From there it will be determined if the employee had a legitimate reason to not return to work or not. If the employee did not have a sufficient excuse, they could lose benefits.
This story was originally published May 21, 2020 at 8:34 AM.
