Maui County September Unemployment 7.9%

By Sonia Isotov

Maui County unemployment rose to 7.9% in September, a 0.4% increase from a month ago, but still lower than one year ago when it was 8.3%, according to an announcement yesterday by the Hawaii State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations.

For the state, Hawaii’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September was 6.4%, a 0.2% percentage point increase from 6.2% in August. There were 591,850 employed and 40,250 unemployed in September, for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 632,100. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.1%.

On Maui, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September was 7.6%, or down 0.6% from one year ago. Molokai was 16.9% or an increase of 3.3% from one year ago, and Lana’i was 5.3% for September, or a 0.7% decrease from one year.

In a separate measure of employment, Hawaii total seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs increased by 6,300 jobs or +1.1% to 595,900 jobs from August to September. Most of the job gains occurred in government (+4,500), especially in the Department of Education, with the expansion primarily due to more hiring for the year-round school session, which until recently had historically not been as intense in the August-September period.

Among major private industry groups, job gains were experienced in Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (+600), Professional & Business Services (+500), and Other Services (+200). Employment in Financial Activities was unchanged over-the-month. Job losses occurred in Education & Health Services (-300) and Construction (-500). In comparison with one year ago, total seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs have gone up by 9,700, or +1.7%, with the largest job expansion in Professional & Business Services (+3,700), Education & Health Services (+3,000), and Leisure & Hospitality (+2,300).