COLUMBIA – South Carolinians considering their career options should consider computer- and math-intensive jobs and health care support, fields the state employment agency predicts will become mainstream over the next decade.
The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce projects these fields will see the state’s largest growth rate in jobs through 2032 — about 24%. That would mean more than 31,600 new workers, according to the department’s recently released biennial analysis of federal labor data.
According to national trends reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, industries such as the health care sector, child care and social services are projected to be the fastest growing in the country, accounting for just under half of the nation’s job growth.
In the Palmetto State, the state Employment Department expects more than 100,000 jobs to be filled in health care roles such as home care aides, nursing assistants, physical therapy assistants and dental assistants.
The median wage for these jobs in South Carolina is just under $17 an hour, according to the agency’s most recent data. Education requirements range from a high school diploma to an associate’s degree.
But Joey von Nessen, an economist at the University of South Carolina, said it’s important to watch that as demand for these jobs increases, wages for these occupations will rise, just as wages for restaurant and hospitality workers have risen since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“At the end of the day, certain employers are going to have the financial resources to develop, pay, attract and retain workers that way,” von Nessen said.
For employers who can’t raise wages, non-monetary benefits, such as more flexible work schedules, may be necessary.
Demand will also increase for nurses and health service managers who take on more managerial roles, although not as much as in other health care fields, according to state and national data.
Nurse practitioners require a master’s degree and earn an average hourly wage of $56 in South Carolina, while health service managers require a bachelor’s degree and earn an average hourly wage of nearly $61.
Among computer and math-related jobs, data scientists, statisticians and information security analysts are expected to be in highest demand, according to state and national reports. The average wage for these jobs ranges from $37 to $57 per hour.
Analysts at the state Employment Agency project that computer and math-related companies will employ more than 63,000 people in the state by 2023.
The state’s Department of Employment and Workforce, appointed by lawmakers to spearhead South Carolina’s workforce strategy, recently launched a new career exploration website in hopes of raising awareness about job opportunities among students, parents, educators and job seekers.
On its website, the agency presents the story of Calvin Goff, a 52-year-old information security analyst.
“My job is to protect the company’s computer systems and data from hackers and other cyber threats,” says Goff. “It’s almost the perfect combination of being a detective and playing video games all day. It’s rewarding because there are always new threats and no one wants to be on the front page of the newspaper with a data breach.”
Von Nessen said the problem South Carolina faces is keeping college graduates in these fields in the state, with only about half of these students staying after graduation.
Data on the number of students earning diplomas each year from the state’s colleges and universities was not immediately available.
Von Nessen said one strategy South Carolina universities and employers could try is to create more internship opportunities earlier in students’ college careers.
“If we can connect students to internships that lead to jobs early in their education, we have a better chance of retaining them,” he said. “Employers who can provide opportunities for students. This would be a win because we still have a labor shortage. A lot of employers still want workers but can’t find enough of them.”
Von Nessen said South Carolina’s job market, like the national market, has cooled somewhat: Data released Friday showed the unemployment rate rose to 3.9% in July from 3% at the start of 2024.
But that’s not because more people are being laid off or out of work, von Nessen said — more people are coming to South Carolina looking for work, they’re just taking longer to find it.
In fact, South Carolina businesses are hiring more people than ever before, with 2.4 million people working in the state as of July.
Meanwhile, there are still 167,000 reported job openings in the state, including about 15,000 in retail, 9,500 in food service and more than 8,000 ads for registered nurses, the industries most in need of workers.
