Maui County unemployment rate at 4.3% in April

The Hawai‘i State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 4.2% for the state. This compares with a more than 22% rate two years ago in 2020 which reflected a historic increase amid economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hawaiʻi.

Maui Island had a 4.2% non-seasonally adjusted rate in April. Molokaʻi’s non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 17.4% and Lānaʻi was 3.2% last month. Combined, Maui County’s non-seasonally adjusted rate was 4.3% in April.

Honolulu has the lowest unemployment at 3.4%, followed by Hawaiʻi County at 3.6%. Kauaʻi has the highest county rate at 4.5%.

The DBEDT reports that jobs increased by 28,800 over-the-year.

Statewide, 645,700 were employed and 28,250 unemployed in April for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 673,950. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.6% in April, unchanged from March.

The not seasonally adjusted rate for the State was 3.6% in April, compared to the revised rate of 3.4% in March.

Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey)

In a separate measure of employment, total nonagricultural jobs increased by 3,800 in April over March.

Job gains were experienced in Leisure & Hospitality (+2,100); Education & Health Services (+1,100); Information (+400); Professional & Business Services (+200); and Financial Activities (+200). 

Within Leisure & Hospitality, the bulk of the rise was evenly split between  Accommodation; and Food Services & Drinking Places, though there was also expansion in Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation. 

Within Education & Health Services, almost all of the gains were in Health Care & Social Assistance, particularly in the Ambulatory Health Care Services subsector.  Manufacturing jobs remained unchanged. 

Job losses occurred in Other Services (-100);  Construction (-300); and Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (-400).  Government employment rose by 600 jobs, with the increase attributed to the Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i System. 

Over- the-year (April 2021 was the 13th month of pandemic effects), nonfarm jobs have gone up by 28,800, or 5%. However, in comparison with March 2020 (last month prior to pandemic effects), nonfarm jobs were down by 50,000, or -7.6%.