DLIR: 2015 Holds Steady Unemployment Rate

The Hawai’i State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations has announced that there have been no changes in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rates during the past three months.

April’s statewide unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent, the same as January, February, and March.

Officials said on Tuesday that throughout the state, 648,150 individuals were employed in April, while 27,450 individuals were not. These numbers make up a total seasonally adjusted labor force number of 675,600.

The nationwide unemployment rate in April was 5.4 percent, down one point from 5.5 percent in March.

Initial unemployment claims have decreased by about 28.1 percent and weeks claimed have decreased by about 22.4 percent, compared to the same time a year ago. However, over the month of April, initial claims remained unchanged as weeks claimed decreased by 4.9 percent.

The figures above represent seasonally adjusted unemployment rate figures.

According to the DLIR, jobs in other services increased by 500 in April, while Educational and Health Services increased by 100.

Jobs in Financial Services and Manufacturing were stable in April without any major increase or decrease.

In addition to the employment gains and stability, employment loss was seen in various other sectors, including construction, which experienced a loss of 900 jobs in April. Other areas that experienced employment loss include Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (-200), Professional and Business Services (-200), and Leisure & Hospitality (-200).

Gains in government employment were made in April as the employment number rose by 1,100 jobs. The DLIR attributed the spike to seasonal hiring at the Department of Education and the University of Hawai’i system

As compared to one year ago, an expansion of 7,500 non-agricultural jobs has been seen.