HAWAII UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DROPS TO 6.9 PERCENT IN APRIL

Hawaii’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 6.9 percent in April-down point-2 percent from the month before.  State records show there were 44,400 unemployed people in the state.

Labor director Darwin L.D. Ching said that while the department is encouraged by the decrease, the road to recovery is not traveled quick or easily.

Molokai had the worst unemployment rate in the state at 14.1 percent, while Honolulu had the best at 5.7 percent. The Maui island rate was 8.5 percent, down point-3 percent from the moth before, but up 5.2 percent from the same time last year.

In contrast, the U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate went from 8.5 percent in March to 8.9 percent in April.  Over the last six months, Hawai’i’s monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has been on average 1.75 percentage points lower than the national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate.

“The Administration’s is continuing to focus on working closely with the private sector to create jobs through aggressive investments in public infrastructure improvements, increasing tourism marketing, maximizing federal partnerships and federal stimulus funds, and attracting private investments, especially in renewable energy technology,” said Ching.

(Posted by Wendy OSHER © 2009)