South Carolina's unemployment rate steady at 3.3 percent

COLUMBIA (AP) - South Carolina's unemployment rate remained unchanged in December.

The Department of Employment and Workforce said in a news release Friday that the state's jobless rate remained at 3.3 percent.

Nationally, unemployment increased to 3.9 percent last month.

Officials said South Carolina's leisure and hospitality sector added more than 5,200 jobs, as is typical over the holiday season. Construction and financial activities lost a total of 1,300 jobs.

Officials said an additional 7,100 people were working across the state in December, marking a record total of more than 2,240,000.

Bamberg County had the state's highest unemployment, at 5.9 percent. Lexington and Charleston counties were tied for the lowest rate, at 2.7 percent. In the tri-county area, Sumter was at 3.7, Clarendon at 4.4 and Lee at 4.2.