November jobless unchanged at 4 percent
Associated Press
Hawai'i's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4 percent in November, with Kaua'i the only island in the state showing an increase.
The state's jobless rate compares with a national rate of 5.7 percent. The 1.7 percentage point gap is the largest in eight months, according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
In November of last year, Hawai'i's unemployment rate was 5.6 percent, while the national rate was 5.3. The Hawai'i jobless rate dropped under 5 percent in January and remained there throughout the year.
The state's labor force increased to 571,000, with 23,500 unemployed in November, the Labor Department said.
Total nonagricultural jobs in November expanded by 5,500 over October, with seasonal factors accounting for most of the increase, the department said.
Holiday hiring added 2,100 jobs in the retail trade industry and the same number in public and private education, helping to keep the jobless rate stable.
O'ahu remained with the lowest jobless rate in the state at 3.6 percent, unchanged from the previous month. Small declines were reported on the Big Island, from 5.3 to 5.2 percent, and on Maui, from 4.3 to 4.1 percent, with larger declines on Lana'i, 5.2 to 4.4 percent, and Moloka'i, which leads the state at 7.5 percent, down from 8.8 percent.
Kaua'i unemployment went up from 4.8 to 5 percent, just enough to cancel out the slight decreases on the other islands.
