MEDIA RELEASE

The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations announced today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 6.1 percent, down from the revised rate of 6.3 percent in July.

The last time Hawaii had an unemployment rate as low as 6.1% was in January 2009, during the early stages of the great recession.

Statewide, there were 601,350 employed and 38,900 unemployed in August, for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 640,250.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.1 percent, a 0.2 percentage decline from 8.3 percent in July.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits were down 13.3% and total weeks claimed were down 12.0% compared to one year ago. Initial claims and weeks claimed decreased by 11% and 7% between July and August, respectively.

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 declined to 5.7 percent in August from the revised rate of 6.3 percent in July.

In a separate measure of employment, total seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs increased by 4,100 jobs in August over July, and by 14,100 jobs over-the-year.

Within industry sectors, August over July employment gains were experienced in Education & Health Services (+1,100), Construction (+800), Leisure & Hospitality (+700), Professional & Business Services (+500), Government (+500), Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (+400), Financial Activities (+200), and Manufacturing (+100).

Job gains in Education & Health Services primarily occurred in Health Services, specifically in Social Assistance and in Ambulatory Health Care Services.

Construction employment rose in good part due to Special Trade Construction projects located on Oahu. Leisure & Hospitality benefitted from strong hiring in Food Services and Drinking Places.

Over-the-month job losses occurred in Other Services (-400).

Over-the-year, the private industries with the largest job gains were Leisure & Hospitality (+5,400), Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (+3,100), and Professional & Business Services (+1.400).