South Carolina's jobless rate

South Carolina's jobless rate increased slightly in March to 5.7 percent and employment officials say the state's economic outlook is uncertain at best.

The officials said Friday that high gas prices, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and a possible recession are affecting job growth.

The unemployment rate dropped to 5.5 percent in February but the executive director of the State Employment Security Commission says that was an atypical trend in a survey used to tabulate the numbers.

The number of unemployed in March grew by 7,000.

South Carolina's rate was still above the national unemployment rate of 5.1 percent in March.

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