Charleston S.C. MSA Workforce & Employment Profile

Workforce Statistics
Civilian Workforce1	2000	2008	% Change	Forecast 2009	Forecast 2010
Labor Force	268,196	320,000	19.3%	322,016	322,724
Employed	259,792	302,080	16.3%	300,268	299,667
Unemployed	8,404	17,920	-	21,748	23,057
Unemployment Rate (%)	3.1%	5.6%	-	6.8%	7.1%
Expanded Labor Pool2	2000	2006	2008
Commuters into MSA	10,778	-	-
Commuters out of MSA	8,360	-	-
Underemployed Workers3	-	30,000	-
Annual High School Graduates	-	-	5,867
Annual Post-Secondary Degrees Conferred	-	-	6,606

Employment by Industry
NAICS Sectors4	2008 Total Employment	2008 % of Total Employment	% Change 2000-2008	% Change 1998-2008
Natural Resources, Mining & Construction	20,000	6.6%	1.5%	12.4%
Manufacturing	22,600	7.5%	-1.3%	3.2%
Trade, Transportation & Utilities	57,500	19.1%	5.3%	15.7%
Information	5,700	1.9%	23.9%	62.9%
Financial Activities	14,100	4.7%	25.9%	33.0%
Professional & Business Services	42,900	14.3%	34.1%	54.3%
Education & Health Services	31,800	10.6%	34.7%	45.9%
Leisure and Hospitality	37,100	12.3%	19.7%	27.9%
Other Services	11,400	3.8%	20.0%	17.5%
Government	57,600	19.1%	14.7%	15.7%
Total Nonagricultural Employment	300,800	100.0%	16.0%	24.5%

Employment & Wages by Occupation
Occupation Title5	2008 Total Employment	2008% Total Employment	% Change 2000-2008	2008 Avg Hourly Wage ($)	2008 Median Hourly Wage ($)
All Occupations	292,640	100.0%	24.8%	18.04	14.57
Architecture & Engineering	6,340	2.2%	51.0%	31.51	30.14
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media	3,280	1.1%	75.4%	20.14	15.39
Building & Grounds Cleaning / Maintenance	11,730	4.0%	19.2%	10.45	9.44
Business & Financial Operations	10,630	3.6%	50.4%	27.14	25.26
Community & Social Services	3,580	1.2%	37.2%	16.63	15.39
Computer & Mathematical	5,970	2.0%	88.9%	28.26	26.27
Construction & Extraction	15,680	5.4%	9.9%	16.75	15.76
Education, Training & Library	15,070	5.1%	1.3%%	19.89	19.29
Farming, Fishing & Forestry	310	0.1%	19.2%	12.59	11.16
Food Preparation & Serving Related	29,320	10.0%	29.2%	9.11	7.80
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical	18,600	6.4%	44.9%	30.59	26.49
Healthcare Support	7,320	2.5%	32.4%	12.17	11.40
Installation, Maintenance & Repair	13,630	4.7%	19.9%	18.17	17.59
Legal	2,090	0.7%	32.3%	33.79	24.47
Life, Physical & Social Science	2,050	0.7%	11.4%	25.14	23.21
Management	13,350	4,6%	-16.5%	43.10	38.10
Office & Administrative Support	48,720	16.6%	36.6%	14.38	13.50
Personal Care & Service	7,880	2.7%	63.8%	10.91	9.33
Production	18,240	6.2%	16.7%	16.30	15.37
Protective Service	6,740	2.3%	17.6%	15.38	14.47
Sales & Related	31,390	10.7%	30.1%	14.86	11.00
Transportation & Material Moving	20,730	7.1%	12.4%	13.87	11.93

Notes & Sources:
(1) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; Forecast data from Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce 5/2009
(2) 2000 Census, U.S. Census Bureau (latest available)
(3) Pathfinders study; S.C. Dept of Education; S.C. Commission on Higher Education, 2009
(4) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics (CES); NAICS = North American Industry Classification System 5/2009
(5) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wages & Employment By Occupation Survey 2008, released 5/2009.

Highly Skilled & Available

Charleston area businesses draw upon a diverse and ever-deepening pool of talent comprised of:

• New skilled labor. Steady streams of new workers are relocating to the region.
• Local college graduates. Nearly 7,000 degrees are awarded locally each year.
• Commuters. Nearly 11,000 residents from surrounding counties commute into the Charleston region to work.
• The military. More than 18,000 military retirees live in the area, with most continuing their careers in the private sector.

Civilian Workforce Growth Rates 2000-2008

	Charleston MSA	South Carolina	United States
Labor Force Growth Rate	19.3%	8.3%	8.2%
Employment Growth Rate	16.3%	4.5%	6.2%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5/2009

Underemployment

According to a February 2006 workforce assessment study, conducted by an independent national consultant group, approximately 30,000 workers in the Charleston region can be defined as "underemployed." Contact Heyward Horton at the Charleston Regional Development Alliance for the full report.

2008 Charleston S.C. MSA Wages by Occupation

Occupation Title	Hourly Average	Annual Average	Hourly Median	Annual Median
All Occupations	$18.04	$37,523	$14.57	$30,306
Architecture & Engineering	$31.51	$65,541	$30.14	$62,691
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media	$20.14	$41,891	$15.39	$32,011
Building & Grounds Cleaning / Maintenance	$10.45	$21,736	$9.44	$19,635
Business & Financial Operations	$27.14	$56,451	$25.26	$52,541
Community & Social Services	$16.63	$34,590	$15.39	$32,011
Computer & Mathematical	$28.26	$58,781	$26.27	$54,642
Construction & Extraction	$16.75	$34,840	$15.76	$32,781
Education, Training & Library	$19.89	$41,371	$19.29	$40,123
Farming, Fishing & Forestry	$12.59	$26,187	$11.16	$23,213
Food Preparation & Serving Related	$9.11	$18,949	$7.80	$16,224
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical	$30.59	$63,627	$26.49	$55,099
Healthcare Support	$12.17	$25,314	$11.40	$23,712
Installation, Maintenance & Repair	$18.17	$37,794	$17.59	$36,587
Legal	$33.79	$70,283	$24.47	$50,898
Life, Physical & Social Science	$25.14	$52,291	$23.21	$48,277
Management	$43.10	$89,648	$38.10	$79,248
Office & Administrative Support	$14.38	$29,910	$13.50	$28,080
Personal Care & Service	$10.91	$22,693	$9.33	$19,406
Production	$16.30	$33,904	$15.37	$31,970
Protective Service	$15.38	$31,990	$14.47	$30,098
Sales & Related	$14.86	$30,909	$11.00	$22,880
Transportation & Material Moving	$13.87	$28,850	$11.93	$24,814
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4/2009.

Workforce Training / Development

South Carolina helps fund workforce training needs through three major options:

Customized training through readySC

• A state-funded program, readySC is provided at little or no cost to companies creating new jobs with competitive wages and benefits.
• The program offers customized recruitment, assessment, training development, management and implementation services to qualifying companies.
• An integral part of the S.C. Technical College System, readySC provides a pre-trained and productive workforce from the first day of operations.

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) employment and training services

• Provided through the Trident One-Stop Career System, a public-private partnership offering employment-related services to both job seekers and employers.
• The System operates one-stop centers in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, and has facilities and meeting spaces available to area businesses to assist with training sessions, recruitment events, business seminars, small to medium conferences, career fairs, and pre-hire and post-hire testing sessions.
• The System also provides services to help eliminate or reduce the costs of employee recruitment, screening and testing, such as WorkKeys®.
• Both on-the-job and classroom programs are available.

Existing industry retraining funds

• South Carolina supports existing companies by offsetting a portion of the cost associated with the retraining of qualifying employees.
• The retraining must be approved and coordinated by our local technical college under the jurisdiction of the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.
• Companies may be reimbursed up to $500 per employee per year (not to exceed $2,000 per employee over five years).
• To qualify, companies must match on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
• An application to the Coordinating Council for Economic Development is required for consideration ($500 application fee).