State jobless rate steady at 4.5 percent
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i's unemployment rate for July was essentially the same as it was in June: 4.5 percent.
The national unemployment figure of 6 percent also remained the same as the month before. Last year, Hawai'i's July unemployment rate was 4.7 percent.
The state's labor force of 575,200 employed workers and 27,200 unemployed represented the second consecutive month of expansion after six months of decline, according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
July saw 11,800 nonagricultural job losses overall since June. Public education accounted for the biggest decline, losing 12,700 positions. Most of them were seasonal cuts of casual workers, according to the Labor Department. Private education also saw a seasonal drop of 300 jobs.
Eating and drinking establishments lost 200 jobs but the retail industry added 200. Work at hotels increased by 200 jobs.
Job gains, like the job losses, were largely because of seasonal factors, according to the Labor Department. Youth summer programs added 600 local government positions; private social services added another 300. Most other industries showed little change, the Labor Department said.
O'ahu had the lowest jobless rate at 4 percent for the month. Maui's jobless rate was 4.2 percent; Kaua'i's, 5.4 percent; Lana'i's, 6.3 percent; the Big Island, 7.1 percent; and Moloka'i, 11 percent.
