Kershaw County’s unemployment rate is steadily improving as it fell from 7.9 percent in June to 7.2 percent in July. In July 2012, the county’s unemployment rate was 9.3 percent, meaning the current unemployment rate is down 2.1 percent from last year. The number of employed people in Kershaw County rose from 27,661 in June to 27,760 in July. A year ago, the number of employed persons in Kershaw County was 27,206.

County Administrator Vic Carpenter said the improvement is “indicative of the job that the county, as a whole, is doing to ensure a quality work force is readily available. Employers recognize this and they want to reach out and hire the many qualified people that live, work and went to school in Kershaw County.”

According to the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, the state’s unemployment rate has dropped more than a full percentage point during the past year. The number of employed people throughout the state increased by 1,700 from June to July of 2013. It has increased by 36,800 since last year, which is a 1.95 percent increase.

Nationally, the unemployment rate declined to 7.4 percent from June’s estimate of 7.6 percent.