South at top and bottom in unemployment

The U.S. Beaureau of Labor Statistics released August 2006 unemployment figures Wednesday, with West Virginia, South Carolina, and Mississippi ranked 47, 48 and, 50 respectively, while Virginia and Florida are ranked 2 and 5. Mississippi has 7.1 percent unemployment, S.C. 6.5, and W.V. 5.9.
The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier reports that South Carolina is adopting a set of agressive programs seeking to target the one-third of South Carolinians who lack the skills necessary to maintain a well-paying job.

As of April, fewer than 1,000 South Carolinians were enrolled in a successful "registered apprenticeship" program, regulated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor, that included 15,000 in North Carolina and 12,000 in Florida.

These new initiatives follow a study by the Palmetto Institute that lays out what is needed to significantly lower unemployment rates in South Carolina.