Good news: Hawaii’s unemployment picture is brighter

Hawaii’s initial unemployment claims dropped 22.7 percent for the week ending Nov. 13, with a total of 2,119 filings, down from 2,743 filings during the same week in 2009, according to the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

All islands saw decreases in initial filings when compared to the same week a year ago. Maui saw the largest percentage decrease – 44.9 percent and a total of 323 claims – while the Big Island saw a 31.4 percent decrease from last year for a total of 336 filings. Kauai saw a 26.8 percent decrease for a total of 150 filings, and Oahu saw an 11.7 percent decrease from a year ago for a total of 1,233 claims for that week.

The state’s unemployment rate held steady in October for the third consecutive month at 6.4 percent, and is down from October 2009’s rate of 6.9 percent, according to seasonally adjusted figures released Nov. 23 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hawaii was one of 17 states that saw no change in unemployment rates in October. The national jobless rate also remained unchanged at 9.6 percent, down from 10.1 percent during the same month last year, according to the report.

In Hawaii, there were 632,700 people in the work force last month with 40,600 of them unemployed, compared to a work force of 634,600 people, with 40,400 of them unemployed in September. A year ago, Hawaii’s work force numbered 635,100, with 44,000 people unemployed.

Although there were 1,651 mass layoffs across the nation in October – down from 2,055 in October of 2009 – Hawaii saw only five mass layoffs that month. Mass layoffs involve at least 50 individuals working for a single employer.

Job seeker relocation dips to a record low

A study of 3,000 successful job seekers by the outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray and Christmas found that job-seeker relocation has dipped to its lowest level in the 25 years it has been tracking this metric. 

Only 6.9 percent of job-seekers who found employment in the third quarter relocated for the new position, compared to a relocation rate of 13.4 percent in the same quarter a year ago; while this continues a long term trend, the recent downturn has been much more rapid. Click here to learn more.