Latest news with #OH-HI
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii jobless rate steady as federal layoffs loom
Hawaii's labor market remains stable, but it could be just a matter of time until the Trump administration's federal layoffs kick in and employment starts to weaken. The state's seasonally adjusted jobless rate in February held at 3.0 % for the eighth straight month after six consecutive months at 2.9 %, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. But Eugene Tian, DBEDT chief state economist, said February's labor statistics did not reflect reductions in federal civilian unemployment because the state employment data was collected during the week of Feb. 10-14. Since the employment numbers change every day, the survey uses the week that includes the 12th day of the month as a reference week and ask people to report their employment status of that week. 'If the federal layoffs occur in Hawaii, there would be an increase in the unemployment rate and people may look for jobs elsewhere, causing outmigration, ' Tian said in an email. 'Currently, since Hawaii has a labor shortage, laid-off federal employees may seek job opportunities in Hawaii, and there will be an increase in employment and population. The Operation Hire Hawaii (OH-HI ) being implemented by the Hawaii state government is attracting workers into the state government.' Tian noted that the Hawaii data includes about 35, 000 federal civilian employees and that about 56 % of those civilian employees are working on military bases and another 7 % are post office employees. 'These employees may not be impacted by the federal layoffs, ' he said. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Hawaii's 3.0 % unemployment rate in February was tied for the fifth lowest in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only South Dakota, 1.9 %; North Dakota and Vermont, both at 2.6 %; and Montana, 2.8 %, have lower rates. Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska and New Hampshire are tied with Hawaii at 3.0 %. Tian said initial unemployment claims are another indicator of the stability of Hawaii's labor force. 'During the first three months of 2025, initial unemployment claims were lower than the same period in 2019 for all the counties including Maui County, ' he said. Hawaii's labor force, which includes those who are employed, those who are unemployed but actively seeking work and those who are self-employed, increased to 684, 800 in February from 683, 250 in January. Those employed rose to 664, 500 from 662, 850, while the number of people unemployed decreased to 20, 300 from 20, 400. 'The labor force and total number of people employed in February were both the highest since the COVID pandemic started in April 2020, ' Tian said. 'However, both the labor force and employment numbers were not fully recovered to the pre-pandemic levels. The labor force recovery was 99 % and the employment recovery was 98.2 %, as compared with February 2020 levels.' Nationally, the unemployment rate rose to 4.1 % in February from 4.0 % in January. Nonfarm payrolls, calculated from a mail survey of employers, increased by 1, 300 in February from January. The private education and health services category showed the largest increase at 700, with construction next at 600. Over the past year, nonfarm jobs were up by 10, 100, or 1.6 %. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate was mixed in the state's four major counties from the previous month. State and national labor force data is adjusted for seasonal factors, but the county jobs data is not seasonally adjusted and thus does not take into account variations such as the winter holiday and summer vacation seasons. Honolulu County's rate rose to 2.7 % from 2.6 %, Hawaii County inched up to 3.2 % from 3.1 %, Kauai County rose to 2.7 % from 2.5 % and Maui County held at 3.4 %. Within Maui County, Maui's rate remained at 3.4 %, while Molokai's rate decreased to 2.6 % from 3.2 % and Lanai's rate fell to 3.5 % from 3.6 %. HOLDING STEADY The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate over the past year : HAWAII February 2025 3.0 % January 2025 3.0 % December 2024 3.0 % November 2024 3.0 % October 2024 3.0 % September 2024 3.0 % August 2024 3.0 % July 2024 3.0 % June 2024 2.9 % May 2024 2.9 % April 2024 2.9 % March 2024 2.9 % February 2024 2.9 % U.S. February 2025 4.1 % January 2025 4.0 % December 2024 4.1 % November 2024 4.2 % October 2024 4.1 % September 2024 4.1 % August 2024 4.2 % July 2024 4.2 % June 2024 4.1 % May 2024 4.0 % April 2024 3.9 % March 2024 3.9 % February 2024 3.9 % Source : State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism ; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1 Comments By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. 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Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii governor orders expedited hiring for displaced federal workers
Federal government employees in Hawaii who lose their jobs under a purge by President Donald Trump are being offered expedited consideration for state positions. Gov. Josh Green on Tuesday signed an executive order intended to place qualified applicants discharged from federal employment into state jobs quickly. 'The state of Hawaii is committed to respecting and valuing its employees, ' Green said in a statement. 'As we witness the very quickly changing landscape of the federal government, federal workforce and federal policies, this order directs state agencies to review candidates and make a conditional job offer within 14 days of receiving an individual's application.' The governor's order No. 25-02 is titled Operation Hire Hawaii : A Workforce Transition Initiative. The expedited-hiring program is being coordinated by the state Department of Human Resources Development, which has begun putting some program information online at. Green said candidates who apply under the 'OH-HI ' initiative will be referred immediately to hiring agencies for consideration. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Brenna Hashimoto, DHRD director, said in a statement that the agency is committed to working closely with other state agencies to ensure that suitable job candidates can be hired quickly. 'We are eager to welcome those impacted by the changes at the federal level to our workforces, as we believe they will make an immediate, positive impact, ' she said. About 5, 000 state civil serv ice jobs, excluding public school teacher positions, were vacant as of Feb. 11, according to DHRD. Workers needed by the state include engineers, information technology professionals, planners, accountants, human resources specialists, registered nurses, investigators and many more, according to state officials. Green's order states that many displaced federal employees possess specialized expertise in areas of great importance to the state, including environmental protection, public health, infrastructure development, cybersecurity and economic policy. Trump last week issued an executive order directing leaders of all federal agencies to prepare to initiate 'large-scale ' reductions in force, excluding military personnel and jobs related to public safety, law enforcement or immigration enforcement. The president's order, aimed at eliminating 'waste, bloat, and insularity, ' followed a recent buyout offer accepted by about 75, 000 federal workers around the country and a hiring freeze that included a recommendation to rescind around 200, 000 job offers and jobs for probationary employees. The federal government employs about 2.4 million people. Hawaii was home to about 35, 500 federal civilian workers in 2024, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Elizabeth Fien, president and CEO of the nonprofit Friends of Hawai 'i Volcanoes National Park, recently said several new or incoming National Park Service employees, including a trail super visor and an engineer, had their employment at the Hawaii island park rescinded since Trump began his initiative. Last week Suzanne Shriner, director of the nonprofit Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council, reported that the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo lost three research scientists, eight technicians and some administrative staff due to probationary firings under the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Operation Hire Hawaii initiative is geared to promptly consider hiring people affected by layoffs, resignations or loss of federal funding, as well as other interested job seekers. Under Green's order, DHRD is to provide quarterly progress reports to his office on the initiative, including the number of employees recruited and retained.
