South Carolina Job Openings and Labor Turnover — October 2025

South Carolina had 129,000 job openings in October 2025, compared to 132,000 openings in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the job openings rate in South Carolina was 5.1 percent in October and 5.2 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.5 percent in October and 4.6 percent in September. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.

In October, South Carolina had 84,000 hires and 90,000 separations, compared to 90,000 hires and 73,000 separations in September. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in October, hires have averaged 99,000 per month and separations have averaged 87,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

Among the October separations in South Carolina, 50,000 were quits and 37,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 50,000 quits and 17,000 layoffs and discharges in September. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 58,000 per month, ranging from 50,000 to 68,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 25,000 per month, ranging from 17,000 to 37,000.

State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for November 2025 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based, incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology.

Job Openings. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets all three of these conditions:

• A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
• The job could start within 30 days.
• The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.

The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.

Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.

Separations. Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.

• Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations.
• Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer.
• Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.

Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.

Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.