Jobless numbers fall to less than 2 percent
Maui island clocked in lower than Maui County: 1.7 percent
Maui County’s jobless rate fell below 2 percent in December, a nearly 1 percentage point decline from the same month last year, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported Monday.
The Maui County rate was 1.8 percent with the Maui island percentage even lower at 1.7 percent in December. The county rate was 2.7 percent and the Maui island rate 2.6 percent in December 2016.
Lanai’s jobless rate was even lower at 1.2 percent in December, down from 2 percent, and Molokai’s rate was 4 percent, down from 5.3 percent. Lanai’s jobless rate was the lowest logged among the major Hawaiian Islands.
Maui County’s jobless rates were not adjusted for seasonal hiring events, like holiday and summer employment growth, making month-over-month comparisons difficult.
The state’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate was 2 percent for December, down from 2.1 percent in November. That is “the historically lowest rate on record” for December since the current computational methodology was established in 1976, said Leonard Hoshijo, acting Labor and Industrial Relations director. The U.S. jobless rate was 4.1 percent.
There was a 2,100-job increase statewide in December compared to November.
The report showed 668,000 people employed and 13,550 unemployed for a seasonally adjusted December labor force of 682,200.
Initial jobless claims fell by 109 or 7.9 percent in December. Month-over-month initial claims increased by 8.6 percent.
In a separate measure of employment, there were job gains in the educational and health services sector, up 1,000 jobs; professional and business services sector, up 400 jobs; and financial activities sector, up 300 jobs.
The trade, transportation and utilities sector logged a 1,100job loss, attributed to declines in seasonal retail hiring.
Government jobs grew by 1,400 jobs, largely due to the seasonal effect of a nonelection year; there generally is a loss of jobs after the November elections.