SC hospitality workers aren’t returning to their old jobs, but they aren’t unemployed either
It’s hard to find anywhere in Myrtle Beach, or even much of South Carolina, that doesn’t have a restaurant with a “help wanted” sign hanging in the window.
Yet, the hospitality industry — restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels and the like — lost 100 jobs last month, according to the state labor department. It might not sound like a lot, but even that minor loss, rather than a gain, is meaningful. On top of that stat, while some businesses have closed, experts believe that the loss of those jobs likely isn’t due to layoffs, but rather, many workers have just quit.
Those workers who have left their hospitality jobs might not necessarily be unemployed, according to the Federal Reserve branch that covers South Carolina. Instead, it appears likely that those employees returned to the workforce in a new industry, or recently quit their job and switched sectors.
The trade, transportation and utilities jobs sector, for one, has added more than 10,000 workers compared to before the pandemic, according to state labor data. That sector covers jobs ranging from retail to airports to shipping to power companies. Retail, in particular, is an easy shift for workers burnt out from restaurants or hotels that have been flooded with tourists over the last eight months, Federal Reserve economist Laura Ullrich said.
Hospitality has been the hardest hit industry in South Carolina throughout the pandemic. After crashing when the pandemic first hit, it was hit in 2020 by surges of tourists that overwhelmed businesses, followed by periods of near-nonexistent traffic. Then in March 2021, a tidal wave of visitors arrived in Myrtle Beach and never receded. As a result, the industry has been unable to meet the demand for services created by a record-breaking number of visitors during this year’s tourism season.
At this time of year, tourist volume has fallen, but that hasn’t changed life much for businesses, Ullrich said.
“We are hearing from a small group of people that things have gotten a little bit easier, but we’re hearing that it’s still very hard,” Ullrich said.
How will hospitality fare during winter?
Last winter, Myrtle Beach’s hospitality business slumped as a wave of COVID-19 cases flooded the country after Thanksgiving and the land border with Canada, a significant source of cold-weather visitors, remained closed. The border finally reopened earlier this month.
Ullrich said she feels hopeful that hospitality should see a winter season that more closely resembles 2019 but cautions that anything can happen. Many doctors and public health officials fear the possibility of dual waves of COVID-19 and the flu this winter, especially in states like South Carolina that have relatively low vaccination rates.
“I think all of us remain hopeful” that another COVID surge won’t happen, Ullrich said. “But at the same time, who in the heck thought we were going to be in this spot 20 months in? I definitely didn’t.”
Other SC industries thrive
Outside of hospitality, the state’s employment picture is much brighter. The state added 6,700 jobs overall last month, and the unemployment rate decreased to 3.9% from 4.1% in September.
Manufacturing, an industry that has lagged in the state for years, Ullrich said, added 4,200 jobs last month. The professional and business services sector — white-collar jobs — added 2,000 workers last month.
The state’s workforce has also grown by 14,000 people compared to before the pandemic, according to state labor data. However, much of that growth can be attributed to people moving to South Carolina from other states, and doesn’t represent a full recovery of the state’s workforce that existed before March 2020.
“South Carolina’s employment situation continues its strong recovery,” the state labor department’s executive director Dan Ellzey said in a statement.
In a press release regarding October’s employment trends, Ellzey noted the trucking industry has posted 1,500 job openings in the last 30 days for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. More than one-third of those jobs are in Charleston County, reflecting the needs of the port there. Trucking is an industry that has struggled with workforce losses during the pandemic even as it saw skyrocketing demand due to the popularity of online shopping and supply-chain backlogs.
“At the Department of Employment and Workforce, we are doing everything we can to help employers fill those truck driver jobs,” Ellzey said in a statement. “Our agency identifies all unemployment claimants with truck driving experience and connects them with local employers who are hiring. An individual does not have to be on unemployment, however, to obtain a trucking job. Representatives in the SC Works centers can help with training opportunities and linking people with area employers, for the trucking industry and many others.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2021 at 3:07 PM.
