Number of initial unemployment claims up in Hawaii

by Kim Jarrett, The Center Square, Dec 23, 2021

(The Center Square) – New weekly unemployment claims increased by 291 in Hawaii to 1,615 for the week ending Dec. 18, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The number of continuing employment claims also increased for the week ending Dec. 11 to 10,159 from 9,664 the prior week, an increase of 495, according to the Labor Department.

Hawaii continues to have unemployment rates higher than the rest of the U.S. The state’s unemployment rate was 6% in November while the U.S. unemployment rate was 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The state unemployment rate in November 2020 was 10.3% as pandemic-related shutdowns slowed the state’s tourism industry.

Two of the state’s metropolitan areas also had higher unemployment rates than the U.S. in October, according to the BLS. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina’s rate was 7.6% while urban Honolulu’s rate was 5.4%.

Nationwide, the number of seasonally adjusted initial claims filed the week ending Dec. 18 was 205,000, according to the Labor Department.

The number of continuing unemployment claims in the U.S. dropped 8,000 from the previous week to 1,859,000 for the week ending Dec. 11. It’s the lowest level since March 14, 2020, according to the Labor Department.