After two straight months of decline, Cherokee County’s unemployment rate held steady in September with little change among the ranks of the working and those looking for work.

According to the latest estimates from the South Carolina Employment Security Commission, Cherokee County’s September unemployment rate stood at 16.2 percent, which was unchanged from a revised August rate.

The August rate had represented a major decrease from the July rate which had been pegged at 16.9 percent. Officials had warned, however, that one month didn’t represent a trend and the September figures proved them right.

Since the economic recession took hold, Cherokee County’s unemployment rate skyrocketed from 8.1 percent in May 2008 to 17.4 percent in June 2009. Cherokee County has been spared, however, from any major plant closures as local employers have cut costs through temporary shutdowns and smaller-scale layoffs.

In its latest estimates, the Employment Security Commission reported Cherokee County had a labor force of 25,361 people in September, which is down almost 300 from August. The number of unemployed, meanwhile, was estimated at 4,119 in September, down about 40 from August.

Cherokee County has had some good news lately that might be reflected in future unemployment reports, such as the startup of Jetline Inc., a printing and manufacturing company from New York that recently announced it was moving to Hyatt Street in Gaffney.

The local unemployment statistics followed statewide trends.

South Carolina’s labor force, for example, was down by 2,851 workers in the latest estimates. The state’s labor force is at its lowest level since September 2008.

The number of unemployed in South Carolina, meanwhile, grew by 3,570 to to 251,975.

Comparing individual sectors of the economy, the Employment Security Commission reported that government sector jobs grew by 17,200 as schools entered the first full month of the school year while professional and business services sector jobs grew by 1,500. Health care and social assistance sector jobs also were up in September.

Leisure and hospitality jobs, as expected, fell by the wayside in September as the summer vacation season came to an end. That cost about 11,100 jobs in South Carolina.

Construction and manufacturing jobs also continued to decline.

South Carolina has 98,000 fewer jobs than when the recession officially began in December 2007.