WASHINGTON: The Hawaiʻi State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February was 2.8%, the same as in January. Other than last month, the last time Hawaiʻi’s unemployment rate was 2.8% was in July 2007. Statewide, 675,550 were employed and 19,350 unemployed in February for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 694,850. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.7% in February, compared to 4.8% in January. Here in Maui County, the non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January was 3%. On Maui Island, the rate was 2.9%, down from the 3.3% reported the month before; on Molokaʻi unemployment was 4.1%, up from the 4% reported in December; and on Lānaʻi, the rate was 4.9%, up from the 3.3% reported in the previous month.
Both initial claims and weeks claims increased by 194 or 18% and 1,577 or 24.1% respectively for unemployment benefits compared to one year ago. Over-the-month, both initial claims and weeks claims decreased by 16.6% and 5% respectively in February 2017. The unemployment rate figures for the State of Hawaiʻi and the US in this release are seasonally adjusted, in accordance with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics methodology. The not seasonally adjusted rate for the State was 2.7% in February, compared to 2.9% in January.
In a separate measure of employment, total nonagricultural jobs increased over-the-month by 500 jobs. Within the major sectors, there were job gains in Educational & Health Services (+400), Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (+300), Leisure & Hospitality (+200) and Manufacturing (+100). Employment losses occurred in Other Services (-100), Construction (-200), Professional & Business Services (-200), Information (-300), and Financial Activities (-400). Government went up by 700 jobs, primarily in State Government within the University of Hawaii system. Over-the-year, total non-farm employment has expanded by 5,000 jobs.
