Maui Unemployment Rate Highest in State at 36% in April

The Hawai‘i State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 22.3 percent. The historic increase from the revised rate of 2.4 percent in March reflects the economic impact of COVID-19 in Hawai‘i.

Maui Island went from tied for the state’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.1 percent in March to the highest unemployed at 36% in April. Molokaʻi’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 12% and Lānaʻi was 5.5% last month.

Statewide, jobs declined by 121,800 over-the-month. Statewide, 487,550 were employed and 139,900 unemployed in April for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 627,450.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 14.7 percent in April, rising from 4.4 percent in March.

In a separate measure of employment, the DLIR reports that total nonagricultural jobs decreased by 121,800 in April over March.

According to the report major job losses were reported in: Leisure & Hospitality (-70,000), Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (-16,100), Professional & Business Services (-6,600), Other Services (-5,900), Educational & Health Services (-4,900), Manufacturing (-3,200), Financial Activities (-1,600), and Construction (-800).