County jobless rates up from 2008
By Taylor Hall
Advertiser Staff Writer
Honolulu's unemployment rate reached its highest level in 19 years as joblessness touched 6.9 percent.
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations yesterday released county unemployment figures showing more unemployed on O'ahu last month, and increases on every Neighbor Island compared to a year prior.
As reported Friday, statewide unemployment increased by 3.5 percentage points to 7.4 percent in June from the year before. Numbers released yesterday showed most islands doubled their unemployment over the past year or posted their highest rates in nearly two decades.
The number of out-of-work people has been increasing over the past year as Hawai'i's economic downturn deepened. The statewide unemployment rate remains below the 9.5 percent national average, though rates on four islands were higher.
The non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate doubled or nearly doubled in three counties — Hawai'i, Kaua'i and Maui.
Honolulu's unemployment increased by 2.8 percentage points since last June and yet at 6.9 percent unemployment, it was the lowest impacted county overall.
It also was the only county to stay below the national seasonally adjusted average of 9.5 percent.
On other islands:
