Many unemployment insurance claimants will be able to bypass long waiting times at Department of Labor and Industrial Relations offices under a program that allows them to file initial unemployment claims over the Internet.

Starting Monday, people who are Hawai'i residents and who worked for a local employer before losing their job may file jobless claims between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The department estimates about half of jobless claims can be filed through its Web site at www.hawaii.gov/labor.

People who are filing a partial or part total claim, reactivating an existing claim, are filing from the Mainland or who worked for the federal government, military or an out-of-state employer must still file through a local claims office or by telephone.

The department plans to expand its online service to cover these claims at a later date.