Over 24,000 in South Carolina filed for unemployment last week

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – Over 24,000 people in South Carolina filed initial claims for unemployment insurance last week, according to the SC Department of Employment and Workforce.

Advance numbers for the week ending May 23 totaled 24,950, a decrease of 4,496 claims from the week prior. The total represents the sixth decrease of recorded claims since mid-March. Over the last ten weeks the total number of initial unemployment claims totaled 540,545.

Greenville County had the most claims with 2,559, followed by Richland County with 2,106 and Spartanburg County with 1,893.

Nearly 41 million people have filed for jobless aid in the seven weeks since the COVID-19 outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close their doors.