First time jobless claims drop again

Unemployment rolls across the country are remindful of the depression, but here in the Golden Corner the number of first time claimants has dropped for another week.  Today’s report from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce showed 356 initial claims filed by Oconeeans for the week ended May 9.  Earlier during COVID-19 the county numbers exceeded one thousand a week.  In nearby counties the numbers included 742 in Pickens County, 1,284 in Anderson, and 3,496 in Greenville.  According to the DEW, the office has paid out $1 billion in benefits, which include the federal pandemic $600 a week to the unemployed, over the last two months.  And it means the state agency is busy, as its website includes the phrase, “We are experiencing unusually high call volumes.”