MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June was 6.4 percent, a 0.1 percentage point increase from 6.3 percent in May.

Statewide, there were 607,800 employed and 41,500 unemployed in June, for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 649,350. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, the same as in May.

Initial claims were down 6.1% and weeks claimed were down by 7.8% compared to one year ago. Initial claims rose by 4.2% and weeks claimed grew by 1.7% in June compared to May.

The unemployment rate figures for the State of Hawaii and the U.S. in this release are seasonally adjusted, in accordance with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) methodology. The not seasonally adjusted rate for the State increased to 7.1 percent in June from 6.3 percent in May.

Industry Payroll Employment (Establishment Survey)

In a separate measure of employment, total seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs decreased by 1,800 jobs over-the-month.

Within industry sectors, job gains were experienced in Other Services (+600) and Construction (+100).

Employment in Manufacturing, Financial Activities, and Leisure & Hospitality remained stable.

Job losses occurred in Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (-200), Professional & Business Services (-200), and Education & Health Services (-1,000).

The decrease in Education & Health Services was primarily concentrated in Health Services, as Social Assistance employment (childcare and individual & family services programs) has shifted downward in May-June due to the recent years’ changes in the public school schedule.

Government jobs contracted by 500 over-the-month, with the bulk of the decline attributed to a drop in hourly workers at the Department of Education.

Over-the-year, total seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs have expanded by 7,100, with the largest increases taking place in Leisure & Hospitality (+6,400), Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (+2,700), and Financial Activities (+1,300).