Overall, Hawaii unemployment claims continue to drop

The number of people filing unemployment claims in Hawaii continues to decrease, with new cases falling less than 1 percent to a total of 2,052 for the week ending Dec. 25, according to data released by the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Despite the overall decrease, Oahu and Kauai both saw increases in the number of claims filed. Oahu had 1,117 new claims filed last week, up 7.6 percent from the same week last year, and Kauai posted 205 initial unemployment claims, up 45.4 percent from the same week last year. Maui County, by contrast, saw a decrease in claims of 35.4 percent, falling to 252. The Big Island saw a 3 percent decrease with 425 initial unemployment claims filed.

Hawaii’s October unemployment rate was 6.4 percent, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data that has not been seasonally adjusted. That is the same rate recorded in September, and an improvement from the 6.8 percent rate in October 2009.