New jobless numbers today

Today there will be the release of new jobless numbers to reflect the latest picture of the extent to which the virus has wreaked havoc on the workforce. And Jamie Suber, chief of staff at the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, speaking yesterday to an Oconee County audience, intimated that it’s likely the numbers of new claims filed over the last week will be smaller than those filed earlier when many businesses closed and those remaining placed many of their employees on furloughs. Suber cautions, however, that no one should leave their guard down about the strength of the state’s workforce. As he said, “Just because new claims are not coming in the rate at they were. (They) are still three, four times, I think it’s 10 times, to be honest with you, the volume we had at the height of the Great Recession in 2008-2009.” He was interviewed by JoAnn Johnson, in another of the news programs produced by the Oconee Chamber of Commerce.