UPSTATE — The labor force in Greenville and Anderson counties shrunk slightly in July, but data indicates the private sector actually grew statewide while government jobs were cut.

In South Carolina, the government shed more than 39,000 jobs as state agencies and schools cut staff for the summer, according to a release form the state Department of Employment and Workforce.

Of those job losses, 2,000 were Census workers, who occupied temporary positions.

Because of state budget cuts, Anderson School District One alone cut about 50 jobs for this school year, about five percent of the district’s labor force. Most of those job cuts were through attrition. (See related story on Page 1.)

But the private sector added jobs — which economists often cite as a sign of growth. A total of about 6,900 private sector jobs were added, with the main increases in business services, which added about 5,200; and manufacturing, which added about 1,900.

In Anderson County, the labor force dropped from 83,328 in June to 82,741 in July with the unemployment rate set at 11.5 percent; and in Greenville County, the labor force dropped from 220,693 in June to 219,890 in July, with the unemployment rate set at 9.5 percent.

Pickens County’s labor force grew slightly, from 57,277 in June to 57,321 in July, while the unemployment rate was set at 10.3 percent.

Greenville and Pickens counties continue to have the lowest unemployment rates in the Upstate.