S.C. unemployment claims double from previous week; Horry County has over 9,600 claims

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – Over 9,600 people in Horry County filed for unemployment benefits for the week ending March 28, leading the number of claims in South Carolina, according to statistics released Thursday.

Information from the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce states the initial claims for that week were 64,856, an increase of approximately 108.85% from the previous week’s count of 31,054.

The figure also represents a 3,149.3% increase from the week ending March 14, according to the SCDEW.

Horry County’s claims were approximately 9,672, followed by Charleston County with 7,845 and Greenville County with 6,556.

This map shows a county-by-county breakdown of initial unemployment claims.(South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce)

Across the country, more than 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — doubling a record high set just one week earlier — a sign that layoffs are accelerating in the midst of the coronavirus, according to the Associated Press.