Maui County unemployment falls to 4.2% for July; but higher than national level of 3.8%

Maui County’s unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 4.2% for July 2022, which was down .6% from the previous month and a nearly 3% decrease from a year ago, according to data released today by the Hawai‘i State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

By islands, the unemployment rate was 4% for Maui (down .5% from June), 11.4% for Molokaʻi (down 2.7% from June) and 5.3% for Lānaʻi (up 1% from the previous month).

In comparison, the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July was 3.8% for the United States, 3.6% for Oʻahu, 4% for the Big Island and 4.4% for Kauaʻi.

Statewide, 649,550 were employed and 27,500 unemployed in July for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 677,050 or 4.1%, which is slightly down from the 4.2% in June. A year ago, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.5%.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5% in July, down from 3.6% in June.

The seasonal fluctuations in the number of employed and unemployed persons reflect hiring and layoff patterns that accompany regular events such as the winter holiday season and the summer vacation season. Seasonally adjusted statistical series enable more meaningful data comparisons between months or with an annual average.

Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates were not available for the individual counties or islands.

The state data for July also showed the total nonagricultural jobs increased by 7,600 over-the-month. Job gains occurred in leisure & hospitality (+2,100); education & health services (+1,800); professional & business services (+800); trade, transportation & utilities (+700);  financial activities (+200); and other services (+100).

Within leisure & hospitality, the bulk of the gains were in food services & drinking places and to a lesser extent accommodation.

Within education & health services, the expansion was primarily in ambulatory health care services, while secondarily in hospitals; nursing & residential care facilities; and social assistance.

Within professional & business services, employment went up in the subsectors of administrative & support and waste management & remediation services.  Within the combined trade, transportation & utilities grouping, gains were concentrated in retail trade.

Job losses were experienced in manufacturing (-100); information (-100); and construction (-300).

Government employment rose by 2,400 jobs, mostly because of a smaller June-July seasonal drop at the Department of Education.  Over-the-year (July 2021 was the 16th month of pandemic effects), nonfarm jobs have gone up by 10,700 or 1.8%. However, in comparison with March 2020 (last month prior to pandemic effects), nonfarm jobs were down by 43,100 or -6.6%.