LIHUE — The unemployment rate on the island of Kauai inched up amid a drawdown of employees in a couple of key economic sectors in the second full month of summer.
The end result was a jobless rate of 2.8 percent in August, compared with 2.5 percent in August 2023, according to monthly data released by the Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism on Thursday, Sept. 19.
The only sectors to add jobs last month were professional and business service, other service and local government.
Professional and business service topped the list with 200 jobs added to bring its employment total to 3,200. That marked an increase of 6.7 percent in the period.
Other service and local government each added 100 jobs for gains of 9.1 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively.
Five sectors — natural resources, mining and construction, retail trade, federal government, financial activities and manufacturing — each shed jobs in the period.
Natural resources, mining and construction and retail trade each lopped off 200 jobs for decreases of 9.5 percent and 5.0 percent, respectively.
Federal government, financial activities and manufacturing each cut 100 positions in the period for retreats of 16.7 percent, 9.1 percent and 16.7 percent, respectively.
The upswing in the unemployment rate came as the labor force shrank 2.7 percent to 36,250 in August from 37,250 in August 2023.
Despite the increase in the unemployment rate, the numbers suggest the island economy is at full employment with some industry measurements referring to a jobless rate of 5.0 percent or less as the key threshold, a number the island economy has been below for quite some time.
Neighbor islands
The highest jobless rate recorded on the four major islands was in Maui, whose economy continues to recover from the deadly wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023. One of the wildfires, the Lahaina Fire, claimed the lives of 102 people and destroyed more than 2,000 structures.
The unemployment rate on Maui dropped to 4.0 percent in August from 4.8 percent in August 2023. The jobless rate on Oahu rose to 3.0 percent in August from 2.8 percent in August 2023, while the rate in Hawaii County climbed to 3.4 percent in August from 3.1 percent in August 2023.
Statewide, the unemployment rate measured 3.2 percent in August, up from 3.1 percent in August 2023. Data not seasonally adjusted.
