Maui County Unemployment Claims Drop 11.5%

Editor’s Note: A decrease in unemployment claims does not necessarily indicate a decrease in unemployment.

By Sonia Isotov

For the week ending September 3, Maui initial unemployment claims decreased 11.5%, and statewide claims decreased 18.3%, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Statewide, 1,968 unemployment claims were filed last week ending September 3. This is an 18.3% decrease compared to last year, 2010, when 2,408 claims were filed.

In Maui County, 322 claims were filed last week compared to 364 in 2010 for the same week. State officials also said that in comparison between 2011 to 2010 for the other counties: Oahu had 273 fewer claims filed; Hawaii had 73 fewer claims filed; and Kauai had 34 fewer claims filed. In%age changes, comparing the current week to the same week a year ago for the counties: Oahu had a 20.3% decrease; Hawaii had a 15.9% decrease; and Kauai had a 20.1% decrease.