www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-06-10 14:22:00
A new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ranks South Carolina 13th nationally for “pro-growth” labor reforms, fifth in the South Atlantic, and 10th in the South. The ALEC 2025 States That Work report evaluates labor policies based on factors such as employment growth, minimum wage, union presence, and political climate. South Carolina tied for first in minimum wage ($7.25), ranked sixth in private sector job growth, and scored well on Right-to-Work and other pro-business laws. Despite progress, the state aims to enhance labor freedom further. Over half a million people have moved to South Carolina in the past decade, reflecting strong momentum.
(The Center Square) – South Carolina is fifth in the South Atlantic, 10th in the South and 13th in the nation for “pro-growth” reforms, according to a new report from the American Legislative Exchange Council.
ALEC.org
ALEC 2025 States That Work: A Labor Policy Roadmap Across America, released Tuesday, considers labor policies – including a 10-point model checklist – and jobs overview in formulating the state rankings. Employment growth, state minimum wage, unions and political landscape are inside the factors.
For jobs, South Carolina tied for first with the state minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) equal to the federal; was sixth in average 10-year private sector employment growth ending in 2024; and 30th in government sector job prevalence (16%). The Right-to-Work Act, Open Contracting Act and Fair and Accountable Public Sector Authority Act also scored well.
“South Carolina has built a solid foundation with Right to Work and a light regulatory touch,” said Alan Jernigan, manager of the ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force. “But to break into the top tier of labor freedom they have to go further. The good news? More than half a million Americans have already moved to the Palmetto State in the past decade. The momentum is there.”
In the 16-state South, the Palmetto State trailed Georgia (third), Arkansas (fourth), Florida (fifth), Tennessee (sixth), North Carolina (seventh), Louisiana (ninth), Mississippi (10th), West Virginia (11th) and Texas (12th).
ALEC bills itself as “America’s largest nonpartisan, voluntary membership organization of state legislators dedicated to the principles of limited government, free markets and federalism. Comprised of nearly one-quarter of the country’s state legislators and stakeholders from across the policy spectrum, ALEC members represent more than 60 million Americans and provide jobs to more than 30 million people in the United States.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article presents information about South Carolina’s ranking in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) report on “pro-growth” labor reforms. The content largely reports facts about labor policies, state rankings, and quotes from ALEC officials without overt editorializing. However, the source—ALEC—is a well-known conservative-leaning organization advocating limited government, free markets, and labor policies often favored by right-leaning groups, such as Right-to-Work laws and low minimum wages. The language and framing are generally neutral but implicitly support pro-business, limited regulation perspectives consistent with center-right ideology. Overall, the piece reflects a center-right viewpoint primarily through its reliance on ALEC’s framework and values.
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