Improved job picture

In the country, in the state, and in the county the job picture looks better with the numbers released today.  The filing of 1.19 million Americans for jobless benefits is the lowest since the start of the pandemic.  South Carolina’s Dan Ellzey said, “For the first time since this pandemic began, our initial claims have dipped below the 10,000 mark.  People,” he says, “are re-entering the workplace as employers find new ways to provide innovative and safe working conditions.”  For the week ended August 1, the number of Oconeeans who filed their initial claim was 114.  That’s 76 fewer than one week prior.  Ellzey, the director of the state Department of Employment and Workforce, did issue the following warning:  “While we monitor the promising downward trend in initial claims, there is a more unfortunate development state employment offices are noticing nationwide.  We are currently tracking claimants who are filing for unemployment benefits while receiving a paycheck from their employer through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP).  Each week during the claim certification process, claimants are specifically asked if they have earned wages for that claim week.  If it is investigated and confirmed that a claimant is receiving both unemployment benefits and a paycheck from their employer, their eligibility status for unemployment will be de-activated, they’ll be required to pay the benefits back in full and they may face criminal charges.  Employers found complicit to this activity will have their forgivable loan status revoked, which would require them to repay the amount in full….”