Posted on: Tuesday, December 14, 2004
BUSINESS BRIEFS
Hiring outlook beats Mainland's
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Nearly a third of Honolulu-area businesses plan to hire more workers in the first quarter while the rest expect to maintain their staffing levels, according to a Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.
The best job prospects are in construction, services, transportation, public utilities, and wholesale and retail trade, the survey said. Honolulu's prospects are brighter than the nation's as a whole: Nationally, 24 percent of businesses surveyed expect to hire more and 10 percent plan to cut jobs.
Dennis Simonis, president of ML Macadamia Orchards L.P., has been named chief executive officer of the macadamia-nut-growing partnership, succeeding J.W.A. "Doc" Buyers.
Buyers had been CEO for most of the time since the partnership was formed in 1986. Simonis has been with ML Macadamia since 2001, and previously was chief financial officer of the partnership's largest customer, Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corp.
The state has approved Kaiser Permanente's request to increase rates by an average of 11 percent next year for individuals and businesses.
The rate hike, which kicks in Jan. 1, would affect about 180,000 of the health plan's 233,000 members.
But insurance commissioner J.P. Schmidt denied the 6 percent average rate hike requested by the Hawaii Management Alliance Association and a 7 percent increase requested by University Health Alliance. Each insurer covers 30,000 people.
The state will reduce several filing fees by up to 50 percent next month, state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs director Mark Recktenwald said yesterday.
Gov. Linda Lingle approved DCCA's request to reduce filing fees for registration of new businesses and annual reporting of business information, as well as those for certain notifications required of workers involved in the securities industry.
Lingle also approved a one-time-only 50 percent reduction of the yearly renewal fee for registered salespersons.
Simonis steps into CEO spot
Kaiser gets OK to raise rates 11%
State will lower some filing fees
