Charleston, SC MSA Workforce & Employment Profile

Workforce Statistics
Civilian Workforce1	2000	2007	% Change	Forecast 2008	Forecast 2009
Labor Force	266,123	314,960	18.4%	316,471	320,655
Employed	257,713	300,353	16.5%	302,305	305,876
Unemployed	8,410	14,607	-	14,166	14,779
Unemployment Rate (%)	3.2%	4.6%	-	4.5%	4.6%
Expanded Labor Pool2	2000	2006	2007
Commuters into MSA	10,778	-	-
Commuters out of MSA	8,360	-	-
Underemployed Workers3	-	30,000	-
Annual High School Graduates	-	-	4,321
Annual Post-Secondary Degrees Conferred	-	-	6,606

Employment by Industry
NAICS Sectors4	2007 Total Employment	2007 % of Total Employment	% Change 2000-2007	% Change 1997-2007
Natural Resources, Mining & Construction	21,800	7.3%	10.7%	38.0%
Manufacturing	22,300	7.5%	-2.6%	6.7%
Wholesale Trade	8,900	3.0%	21.9%	50.8%
Retail Trade	37,900	12.7%	10.5%	24.7%
Transportation & Utilities	12,400	4.2%	-6.8%	14.8%
Information	5,100	1.7%	21.4%	59.4%
Financial Activities	14,200	4.8%	24.6%	37.9%
Professional & Business Services	41,400	13.9%	29.4%	63.0%
Educational & Health Services	30,200	10.1%	28.0%	43.8%
Leisure & Hospitality	36,700	12.3%	18.4%	35.4%
Other Services	12,000	4.0%	26.3%	33.3%
Government	55,800	18.7%	11.2%	14.1%
Total Employment (nonfarm)	298,700	100.0%	10.2%	30.6%

Employment & Wages by Occupation
Occupation Title5	2006 Total Employment	2006 % Total Employment	% Change 2000-2006	2006 Avg Hourly Wage ($)	2006 Median Hourly Wage ($)
All Occupations	277,960	100%	18.6%	16.52	13.34
Architecture & Engineering	6,740	2.4%	60.5%	28.25	27.39
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media	2,550	0.9%	36.4%	17.50	14.64
Building & Grounds Cleaning / Maintenance	11,230	4.0%	14.1%	9.13	8.29
Business & Financial Operations	9,340	3.4%	32.1%	25.88	23.39
Community & Social Services	2,910	1.0%	11.5%	16.47	15.17
Computer & Mathematical	4,420	1.6%	39.9%	27.66	25.74
Construction & Extraction	17,430	6.3%	22.1%	15.22	14.25
Education, Training & Library	17,120	6.2%	15.1%	19.07	18.63
Farming, Fishing & Forestry	590	0.2%	126.9%	11.96	10.69
Food Preparation & Serving Related	28,170	10.1%	24.2%	8.33	7.44
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical	14,520	5.2%	13.1%	26.23	22.66
Healthcare Support	6,430	2.3%	16.3%	11.24	10.21
Installation, Maintenance & Repair	12,870	4.6%	13.2%	17.11	16.36
Legal	2,060	0.7%	30.4%	36.20	28.11
Life, Physical & Social Science	1,770	0.6%	-3.8%	24.97	23.64
Management	12,740	4.6%	-20.3%	37.67	33.69
Office & Administrative Support	45,270	16.3%	26.9%	13.53	12.50
Personal Care & Service	6,590	2.4%	37.0%	9.67	8.30
Production	17,550	6.3%	12.3%	15.05	13.88
Protective Service	6,720	2.4%	17.3%	14.10	13.55
Sales & Related	29,360	10.6%	21.7%	13.93	10.05
Transportation & Material Moving	21,580	7.8%	17.0%	13.63	11.19

Unionization
Workforce Unionization Rate6	2006
Charleston MSA	1.7%
United States	12.0%

Notes & Sources:
(1) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008. Forecast data from Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce 3/08
(2) 2000 Census, US Census Bureau (latest available)
(3) Pathfinders study; SC Dept of Education; SC Commission on Higher Education, 2007
(4) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics (CES); NAICS = North American Industry Classification System
(5) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Wages & Employment By Occupation Survey 2006, released 2007.
(6) Center for Business Research, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. Unionization rate is for private industry in the Charleston, S.C. MSA. South Carolina is a right-to-work state

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 6,000 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 Labor Force & Employment Growth Rates 2000-2007

	United States	South Carolina	Charleston MSA
Labor Force Growth Rate	7.4%	8.3%	18.4%
Employment Growth Rate	6.7%	5.7%	16.5%
Source: 2008 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

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.

2006 Wages by Occupation

Occupation Title	Hourly Average	Annual Average	Hourly Median	Annual Median
All Occupations	$16.52	$34,370	$13.34	$27,750
Architecture & Engineering	28.25	58,760	27.39	56,970
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media	17.5	36,390	14.64	30,440
Building & Grounds Cleaning / Maintenance	9.13	18,990	8.29	17,240
Business & Financial Operations	25.88	53,830	23.39	48,650
Community & Social Services	16.47	34,250	15.17	31,560
Computer & Mathematical	27.66	57,540	25.74	53,540
Construction & Extraction	15.22	31,650	14.25	29,650
Education, Training & Library	19.07	39,670	18.63	38,750
Farming, Fishing & Forestry	11.96	24,880	10.69	22,230
Food Preparation & Serving Related	8.33	17,320	7.44	15,480
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical	26.23	54,550	22.66	47,140
Healthcare Support	11.24	23,380	10.21	21,240
Installation, Maintenance & Repair	17.11	35,590	16.36	34,030
Legal	36.2	75,290	28.11	58,470
Life, Physical & Social Science	24.97	51,940	23.64	49,170
Management	37.67	78,360	33.69	70,080
Office & Administrative Support	13.53	28,150	12.5	25,990
Personal Care & Service	9.67	20,110	8.3	17,250
Production	15.05	31,300	13.88	28,860
Protective Service	14.1	29,330	13.55	28,190
Sales & Related	13.93	28,980	10.05	20,900
Transportation & Material Moving	13.63	28,340	11.19	23,280
Source: Compiled by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's Center for Business Research from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8/07

The state of South Carolina is a right-to-work state. As a result, greater Charleston has a very low unionization rate. In 2006, just 1.7% of workers in the Charleston metro area were members of an organized union, well below the national average of 12.0%.

Workforce Training / Development

The state of South Carolina helps fund the training needs of South Carolina businesses through three major workforce training options:

• Customized workforce training (readySC) at little or no cost to qualifying companies
• Jobs Training Partnership Program (JTPA) / Workforce Investment Act (WIA), provided by the Trident One-Stop Career Center
• Existing industry retraining funds

Learn more about our workforce training options.