South Carolina Workforce Shortage Update

Governor Directs DEW to Stop SC Participation in Federal Pandemic Related Unemployment Benefit Programs
Last week, Governor Henry McMaster sent a letter to Director Dan Ellzey (SC Department of Employment and Workforce) to terminate South Carolina's participation in all federal, pandemic-related unemployment benefit programs, effective June 30, 2021.
These programs include:
•          Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
•          Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)
•          Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (EPUC)
•          Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC)
•          Emergency Unemployment Relief for Governmental Entities and Nonprofit Organizations
•          Temporary Federal Funding of the First Week of Compensable Regular Unemployment for States with No Waiting Week
DEW outlines each program and what will change in this memo to the Governor. Currently, South Carolina has over 80,000 open jobs, and several industries are facing enormous workforce shortages that threaten their growth and sustainability.
 
New Study Shows Large Manufacturing Skills Gap
A new study published by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute anticipate the shortfall in US manufacturing during the next decade to reach the highest levels ever recorded, higher than the earlier estimates of 2 million unfilled jobs during 2015–2025.  The cost of these unfilled jobs could reach $1 trillion by 2030.  Part of the challenge the industry faces is understanding how today’s jobs and associated skills are morphing into new jobs and career pathways that continue to evolve along with advanced technology.
 
The study found that, while over 1 million manufacturing jobs were lost during the pandemic, almost all of those jobs have been recovered. Today, the manufacturing sector is facing a major workforce shortage. Read more here.