HAWAII’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AT 4.1 PERCENT IN JULY

News Release from DBEDT, Aug 18, 2022

HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i State Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July was 4.1 percent, compared to the revised rate of 4.2 percent in June. Statewide, 649,550 were employed and 27,500 unemployed in July for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 677,050. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in July down from 3.6 percent in June.

The unemployment rate figures for the State of Hawai‘i and the U.S. in this release are seasonally adjusted, in accordance with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) methodology. The not seasonally adjusted rate for the State was 3.8 percent in July, compared to the revised rate of 4.1 percent in June.

INDUSTRY PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT (ESTABLISHMENT SURVEY)

In another measure of employment, 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 Administrative & Support & Waste Management & Remediation Services subsector.  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 percent. However, in comparison with March 2020 (last month prior to pandemic effects), nonfarm jobs were down by 43,100 or -6.6 percent.

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