Back to March 2006 Releases
03/08/2006
Gov. Sanford Pleased with Report Showing Almost 100,000 New Jobs
Governor Impressed with "State of the Economy" Presentation
Columbia, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford issued the following statement on today's report by newly-confirmed Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor:
"I think what Joe laid out today once again highlights what we've heard a number of different people say - we are making progress with respect to our economy," Gov. Sanford said. "With almost 100,000 new jobs created over the past three years, we're near the top of the nation in job growth over that time period -- and more jobs have been produced over these last three years than any administration since the creation of the Department of Commerce. But the bottom line is that while these numbers show progress, it's never been more important to continue to recruit high-paying jobs to our state and improve the underlying soil conditions for business growth."
The following are some of the facts highlighted by Sec. Joe Taylor during the report:
- From 2003 through 2005, South Carolina ranked 16th in the nation in percentage of job growth, adding almost 100,000 jobs during that time period - a 5.38 percent increase in employment. Over the past four months, employment in South Carolina has grown by the second-fastest rate in the nation.
- At the same time, South Carolina's labor force has grown even faster - there are nearly 125,000 more people in South Carolina's labor force than there were three years, putting the state's labor force growth at 6.28 percent and ranking 9th in the nation.
- In raw numbers of jobs created over that time period, South Carolina (population 4.3 million, job growth 99,781) outpaced a number of states with higher populations. Those include: Ohio (population 11.4 million, job growth 65,546); Michigan (population 10.1 million, job growth 62,221); Missouri (population 5.8 million, job growth 38,089); Tennessee (population 5.96 million, job growth 24,646); and Massachusetts (population 6.4 million, job loss 18,007).
- When compared to North Carolina, our state's rate of job growth over the past three years is almost identical - South Carolina's is 5.38 percent, compared to North Carolina's 5.36 percent. South Carolina's labor force, however, has grown at almost twice the rate of North Carolina's - a 6.28 percent increase compared to 3.95.