Unemployment rate increases

LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i’s unemployment rate crept up from 9.1 percent in February to 9.3 percent last month, state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations figures show.

The numbers “from a Neighbor Island perspective” are “slightly below the average,” said county Office of Economic Development Director George Costa.

In February, Maui’s unemployment rate was 8.5 percent and rose to 8.9 percent last month. The Big Island came in at 10.1 last month, up from 9.8 percent in February. O‘ahu, however, went from 5.7 percent in February down to 5.6 in March, according to statistics from Hawai‘i Workforce Informer.

Any lay-off on Kaua‘i will have a “significant impact” due to the island’s smaller labor force, said the Department of Labor & Industrial Relations spokesman Ryan Markham. The rate is the number of unemployed divided by the total labor force.

“Because of its diverse economy, O‘ahu is less dependent on the visitor industry and (the unemployment rate is) well below the Neighbor Islands,” Costa said.

The island’s rise from 8.7 percent in December 2009 to 9.1 percent in January “equates to approximately 200 jobs which were spread equally” among construction, professional and business services, leisure and hospitality (including restaurants) and the government, Costa said.

Rates have stabilized over the past few months, Markham said. But, Kaua‘i still falls below the national unemployment rate of 9.7 percent.

On the other hand, approximately 130 Kaua‘i claimants “exhausted their regular benefits” in January and February, Markham said. And the “two largest industry groups” losing employment include construction and accommodations/food services, according to Markham.

However, job losses have “slowed to a lower rate in 2010,” he said.

• Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com.