Hawai‘i County Unemployment Rate 3.7% in September

Hawai‘i County’s 3.7% unemployment rate for September was down slightly from the 4.1% reported a month earlier, and the 4.3% reported at the same time last year.

The new data was released by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Unemployment rates in Hawai‘i decreased on all islands from month before levels.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations noted that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the state dropped slightly to 3.3% in September, after a 3.4% rate reported in August 2016, and a down from the 3.4% rate reported at the same time in 2015.

The department reports industry employment gains in few areas including the following job expansions: 800 jobs in Educational and Health services and 100 jobs in Other Services. Government employment went up by 1,900 jobs, with the vast majority attributed to the Department of Education at the University of Hawai‘i system.

Job losses were reported in several sectors including: 100 jobs in Manufacturing, 300 jobs in Construction, 400 jobs in Leisure and Hospitality, 600 jobs in Professional and Business Services, 600 jobs in Trade, Transportation and Utilities and 600 jobs in Financial Activities.

According to the new data, there were 665,000 employed and 22,550 unemployed individuals in the state in September, which combines for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 687,500.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.0% in September, slightly higher than the 4.9% in August.