Restaurants rehire, jobless benefit claims rise: Here’s the latest on Lowcountry employment
Hilton Head Island’s restaurant industry is showing some signs of life after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s recent order allowing indoor dining means that many furloughed restaurant workers are back on the job.
The overall unemployment picture is bleaker.
As of May 9, the week the most recent figures were available, 905 people have filed initial claims for unemployment benefits in Beaufort County, according to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. The number of those who continue to need unemployment benefits is steadily rising, with the U.S. Department of Labor reporting 260,409 continued claims for benefits in South Carolina as of May 2.
We’re tracking layoff announcements as they happen and checking with major employers.
If you know of layoffs at your place of employment that are not listed here, email us and let us know. This story will be updated regularly.
In the vast majority of cases, the layoffs listed have been described as temporary.
This listing covers numbers through May 8.
Latest updates on layoffs:
Coastal Restaurants and Bars (CRAB): Gov. Henry McMaster’s latest order on restaurants permitting indoor seating has allowed CRAB to come back to almost full staffing, according to owner Brendan Reilley.
About 600 employees were laid off when restaurant dining was first barred, but now Reilley says the group has brought back at least 525 workers and every location but one has been reopened.
The company owns Crazy Crab in Sea Pines and on Jarvis Creek, Reilley’s Grill and Bar, Aunt Chilada’s, Fishcamp on Hilton Head and in Port Royal, among others.
Southeastern Entertainment Restaurant Group (SERG): Over 400 employees have been able to come back to SERG’s 13 of 14 reopened restaurants, said President Alan Wolf. 800 workers were put on furlough after the original closure order came down. SERG is the largest restaurant group on Hilton Head Island.
Hudson’s Seafood Restaurant: The restaurant now has 70 to 75 employees back working after being forced to furlough 80 workers when restaurants first shut down, according to owner Andrew Carmines. At least 14 of those are new hires, he said.
Layoffs since beginning of pandemic
Beaufort County Government: There have been no layoffs or furloughs, according to Liz Farrell, public information officer for Beaufort County. She said the county’s part-time parks and recreation employees have not been working, though, because programs are not open.
Beaufort County Schools: No layoffs, according to district spokesman Jim Foster. Schools are shut down, and every district teacher is hosting online class and office hours. Contracted cafeteria and maintenance workers are still coming to work.
Beaufort city government: Concerning layoffs and furloughs, City Manager Bill Prokop said he will be “taking a hard look at our expenses,” and noted that the city has frozen all new hiring.
Beaufort Memorial Hospital: The hospital said there have been no layoffs. Cross-training and reassigning staff to needed areas allowed the facility to keep employees, President Russell Baxley said.
Belk: The retailer furloughed a number of employees when stores closed in response to state orders but did not say how many employees were affected. In response to S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s order re-opening some non-essential businesses, Belk re-opened its 35 South Carolina locations on May 1.
BFG Marketing: The firm is reporting no layoffs, as much of its work can be done remotely, according to President Kevin Meany.
Best Buy: Emails to the company were not returned. Notes on the company’s website do not mention whether it has reduced staff, but notes it is offering curbside pickup at its stores and that it has suspended in-home pickup and delivery of large appliances. Despite some department stores reopening per McMaster’s order, Best Buy said it is continuing its lockdown.
Bluffton town government: No layoffs or furloughs, according to Town Administrator Marc Orlando. He said he will be proposing a hiring freeze in the upcoming budget.
Callawassie Island: The Callawassie Island Member’s Club, which runs the luxurious island community tucked between Bluffton and Beaufort, said “a number of our employees have been furloughed for an indefinite period of time,” according to an April 6 email sent to members.
The email states the furloughs are due to an $80,000 monthly revenue shortfall because of a lack of special event and food and beverage income.
Cinemark: The movie theater company has one location in Bluffton and closed all of its movie theaters across the country to avoid coronavirus spread. A layoff report from S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce shows 118 jobs in South Carolina were lost.
Coastal Carolina and Hilton Head Regional hospitals: Tenet Healthcare owns both hospitals and dozens of others across the country. Tenet furloughed 10 percent of its staff, mostly administrative positions and healthcare workers involved in elective procedures.
A Tenet spokesperson declined to say how many employees were furloughed at the two Lowcountry hospitals but said the cuts impact less than 3% of the company’s hospital staff nationwide. The rest affected administrative employees.
The Cypress: The senior retirement community on Hilton Head said it has “not made any staffing changes,” according to Sandy Griffin-Bukoskey, Executive Director of The Cypress.
Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort: The resort is currently closed, but the staff of the hotel will continue to be paid during the shutdown, according to a news release from Disney.
Evicore: The company said it was not responding to any media requests.
Greenery: The landscaping company has not had to do layoffs, though it has not hired spring seasonal workers as it has in the past since there is less work with clients in the hospitality industry, according to Lee Edwards, president of the Greenery.
Gulfstream: The Savannah-based aerospace manufacturing company laid off nearly 700 employees this month, according to information filed with the Georgia Department of Labor.
Hardeeville city government: No furloughs or layoffs have been made and are “highly unlikely,” according to City Manager Mike Czymbor.
Hargray: No layoffs and no furloughs and no plans to do so, according to a statement to the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette from Michael Gottdenker, chairman & CEO of Hargray Communications.
All office personnel are working remotely and all field employees have been equipped with protective equipment, he said.
Heritage Golf Group: The company owns an array of golf courses across the country, including three on Hilton Head Island: Oyster Reef Golf Club, Port Royal Golf & Racquet Club, and Shipyard Golf Club.
The company has laid off 17 workers from Oyster Reef; 31 from Port Royal; and 25 from Shipyard, according to a state layoff report.
Hilton Head town government: No layoffs or furloughs, Town Manager Steve Riley said.
Holiday Inn: The hotel company owns the Beach House resort at Coligny Beach, which laid off 57 employees on March 23, according to a layoff report from SCDEW.
Home Depot: Did not directly address layoffs or furloughs but issued a statement saying it was still hiring in markets where needed.
Island Packet/Beaufort Gazette: One furlough; open positions have been put on hold, according to general manager Brian Tolley.
Jasper County government: No layoffs or furloughs, Jasper County Administrator Andrew Fulghum said. He said the county is evaluating its revenue data before deciding how to “fill any possible gaps.”
Kazoobie Kazoos and New South Shirts: Owner Stephen Murray confirmed to the Island Packet that eight workers had been laid off.
Lowe’s: Did not respond directly to the question of layoffs but said the company was actively hiring for 30,000 roles across the U.S.
Marine Corps Air Station: No furloughs or layoffs, according to First Lt. Kevin L. Buss, communications director.
Marriott: Attempts to contact the hotel in person twice and over the phone on five separate occasions were unsuccessful. The hotel is currently open, but the resort’s parent company, Marriott International, announced previously it would furlough tens of thousands of hotel employees worldwide.
Montage Palmetto Bluff: Calls and an email were not returned. The resort is temporarily closed and plans to “re-open as soon as possible.” The number of affected employees is unavailable.
Naval Hospital Beaufort: No furloughs or layoffs, according to Trey Savitz, Public Affairs/Customer Service Officer.
Omni Hilton Head Oceanfront Resort: Calls were not returned. The resort is currently closed and the number of affected employees is unavailable.
Parris Island Marine Corps base: No impact to civilian workforce outside of a temporary freeze of the onboarding of new hires coming from outside 150 miles, according to Capt. Bryan McDonnell, communications director.
Ridgeland town government: No layoffs or furloughs, according to Town Administrator Dennis Averkin.
Sea Pines Resort: The resort has laid off “a majority” of its approximately 700 employees, according to resort president Steve Birdwell.
Spartina: Calls were not returned. A note on its website shows that stores on Hilton Head Island and in Old Town Bluffton have reopened.
Sonesta Resort: Calls and emails to Sonesta’s corporate office were not returned. The resort announced it will close until May 31. The number of affected employees is unknown.
Spinnaker Resort: Furloughs have happened, but the company declined to give specifics on the number of employees. The company owns Bluewater, Waterside, Southwind, Egret Point, and Carolina Club and Cottages as well as the S.R. Hotel on Hilton Head.
Target: Released a statement from spokesperson Shane Kitzman that did not address layoffs specifically but said it is offering additional hours to employees who wanted them and was maintaining its “current approach” to hiring.
Technical College of the Lowcountry: No layoffs or furloughs at the college, and none are anticipated, spokeswoman Mary Lee Carns said.
University of South Carolina Beaufort: No layoffs or furloughs, spokeswoman Candace Bruder-Brasseur said.
Walmart: Through a media agency representing the company, Walmart said it is hiring in South Carolina but did not mention specifics involving Beaufort or Jasper counties.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Restaurants rehire, jobless benefit claims rise: Here’s the latest on Lowcountry employment."
