Labor Force Characteristics
The composition and size of a community's labor force is linked very closely with demographic and economic conditions and trends in the region. The following labor force profile provides basic information on the population base and labor force characteristics so that the reader can better assess labor force conditions in the community.

Civilian Population
The civilian population (excluding military personnel) within a 30-mile radius of Manning is approximately 207,778 . This is an increase of 6.5 percent since 1990. In South Carolina, overall, the civilian population has grown by 12.2 percent. During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, South Carolina's population growth has exceeded both the U.S. and Southeastern averages providing a growing labor supply for business and industry. Conservative projections indicate the population in a 30-mile radius will reach 221,213 by the year 2005.

Labor Force
The total civilian labor force within a 30-mile radius of Manning is 98,678 (Avg. 2001). Within a 15-mile radius, the labor force count is 16,949 . The civilian labor force count represents all non-military employed and unemployed (actively seeking jobs) workers residing in the area. The median age in South Carolina was 35.4 years (2000), which is roughly the same as the nation-wide average of 35.4. More women participate in the labor force as full-time workers in South Carolina than the national average. The following table summarizes the demographic characteristics of the working-age population in the community, the county, and the state.

Demographic Characteristics - Manning, Clarendon County and South Carolina

Employment
The total non-agricultural wage-and-salary employment for the county was 8,100 (avg. 2001). Employment data include all full- and part-time wage and salaried workers employed in the county. Employment statistics are compiled by place of work. Consequently, these employment statistics are based only on people who work in the county or study area. These people may or may not reside in the county or study area.

Employment Characteristics - Manning, Clarendon County and South Carolina

Employment by Sector
The following two tables examine the distribution of employment by sector. The table on the left compares employment by sector in 1990 and 2000. The table on the right provides a more detailed analysis of employment within the manufacturing sector in 2000.

Demographic Characteristics - Manning, Clarendon County and South Carolina

Characteristics	Community	County	South Carolina
	15-mile -- 30-mile
	Radius -- Radius
Total civilian	39,092 - 207,778
Population (2001)
Distrybution by age(2001)
18 24 25 44 45 54 55 64	10.2% 11.2% 30.1 31.9 9.7 9.3 8.3 8.3	9.5% 28.5 10.2 8.8	10.2% 29.5 13.7 13.7
Distribution by sex (2001)
Male   Female	47.6% 47.6% 52.4 52.4	47.7% 52.3	48.6% 51.4
Education Age (16-69)
High school graduates 1-3 years of college College graduates Post graduates	70.2% 73.2% 21.6 24.8 8.6 9.0 4.1 4.3	68.0% 18.7 8.1 3.8	76.1% 26.4 12.0 5.6

Prime Working Age Group
In staffing a new facility, prudent management prefers to staff its production work force with workers whose ages form a normal distribution curve. This provides for stability, flexibility and continuity of know-how. Over 46.8 % of the population in the 30-mile radius fall into the prime working age group of 20-54.

Work Force Skill Levels
Overall, South Carolina boasts a higher per capita percentage of craftsmen, operatives, and laborers than the average percentages for the nation or the Southeastern states. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' figures indicate that 33.5 percent of the employees in South Carolina were craftsmen, operatives and laborers in 1998 compared with a 25.3 percent national average.

Labor Force Participation Rate
The labor force participation rate within a 30-mile radius of Manning is 47.5 percent. Within a 15-mile radius the participation rate is 43.4 percent. The labor force participation rate is the percentage which results from dividing the civilian labor force count by the total civilian population. South Carolina's average labor force participation rate is 50.2 percent (2001). The U.S. average participation rate is 50.4 percent.

2001 Labor Force Participation Rates Manning, Clarendon County

Community 15-Miles 30-Miles   Radius Radius County

Labor Force: 16,949 98,678 13,535 Participation Rate: 43.4% 47.5% 41.3%

Unemployment Rate

To obtain the most recent unemployment and labor force statistics for Clarendon County, visit the South Carolina Employment Security web site at http://www.sces.org.  For a historical look at unemployment and labor force characteristics for Clarendon County visit this web site link:  http://www.sces.org/lmi/data/labor-force/clarendon.xls .  If a dialog box appears asking for a username and password, simply click cancel and the information will still appear in an Microsoft Excel format.

Underemployed
In the 30-mile labor draw area 27.5 % of the resident labor force had individual gross annual earnings of $12,000 or less per annum in tax year 2001. This is equal to approximately $5.77 per hour based on a 2,080-hour work year common to business and industry and represents some 27,182 residents. Workers from this relatively low earnings group are among the first to respond to more rewarding job opportunities and are a valuable source of experienced, recruitable workers to new and expanding industry and business.

Commuting Patterns
Approximately 3,811 workers from Clarendon County commute daily to jobs outside the county. Experience has shown that workers in this group will usually respond to comparable or better employment opportunities closer to home.

Persons Not in the Labor Force
Due to the inherent elasticity of the work force, as more attractive jobs become available, people not currently a part of the labor force or who have withdrawn from the labor force are drawn into the pool of available labor. These people constitute a large group of potential workers who can be recruited to jobs that provide an attractive wage and benefit package. In Clarendon County there are over 4,304 residents age 18-64 who are currently not participating in the labor force. These are people who are fully capable of entering the labor force, given sufficient opportunity and/or motivation.

Persons Reaching Employment Age (18)
A continuing increase in the number of high school graduates who choose not to go to college, combined with an already relatively youthful population, will provide large numbers of entry-level job candidates in the future. An estimated 38,369 persons in a 30-mile radius reached employment age (18) between 1990 and 2000. Slightly more than 53.9 % are male. Of those graduating from high school, about 56.8 percent continued on with their education. The bulk of the remainder entered the labor force.

Employer-Employee Relations
Employer-Employee relations in South Carolina are very stable and the state consistently ranks as one of the least unionized in the nation. In 2001, South Carolina had the lowest union membership rate in the United States. South Carolina has consistently had one of the lowest work stoppage rates in the United States. In 1999, an average of less than .01% of working time was lost due to strikes in manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries combined.

Wages and Salaries
The average wage for all full-time and part-time wage and salaried workers in Clarendon County was $19,552 in 2000. As the following table indicates, average wages in South Carolina overall are below the U.S. average.

Conclusion
In the study area, the major sources of recruitable labor are the underemployed in terms of their gross annual earnings, young adults reaching employment age, those not currently in the work force, job seekers as a result of population growth, commuters and the unemployed. As indicated by the foregoing analysis, this area has a good population and labor force base. Both the population and labor force show positive growth trends, which should continue into the foreseeable future.