Almost 79,000 unemployed South Carolinians will stop receiving federally funded weekly jobless benefits by year's end, state unemployment officials said Wednesday, because the state's jobless rate is improving and a new federal law is phasing out emergency benefits.

South Carolina's House will consider a bill requiring newly hired employees to work an additional two years to collect full retirement benefits, while current employees could still retire after 28 years.

South Carolina is entering a partnership with a company known for its college admission test to better match unemployed workers with the businesses who need them, Gov. Nikki Haley announced Thursday.

If unemployed workers in South Carolina can't find a job in six months, they would have to volunteer 16 hours weekly to continue getting benefits from the state under a bill up for debate Tuesday by a Senate panel.

The South Carolina Department of Insurance has spent little of nearly $2.5 million in federal grants it sought under the 2010 health care law, according to a state audit released Tuesday.

Gov. Nikki Haley on Monday touted a rebranding of more than 50 centers that serve the unemployed in South Carolina, saying the shift is part of her efforts to tackle the state's high jobless rate.

South Carolina's Medicaid agency announced Monday it plans to cut fees paid to doctors, dentists and other medical providers by between 2 percent and 7 percent next month.