LIHUE — The Hawaii State Department of Labor &Industrial Relations announced Thursday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 2.2 percent, compared to 2.5 percent for September.
LIHUE — The Hawaii State Department of Labor &Industrial Relations announced Thursday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 2.2 percent, compared to 2.5 percent for September.
The 2.2 percent unemployment rate is the lowest unemployment rate on record dating back to 1976, said Linda Chu Takayama, DLIR director.
Statewide, 671,450 were employed and 15,150 unemployed in October for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 686,600. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in October, compared to 4.2 percent in September.
Kauai’s jobless rate for October, 1.8 percent, was tied with Honolulu for the lowest in the state.
Kauai’s jobless rate was 2.3 percent in September and 3.2 percent in October 2016.
Gov. David Ige called the unemployment rate “great news.”
“This is partly a reflection of robust visitor numbers thanks to increased flights to the islands,” he said in a prepared statement. “We want to keep the momentum going as we develop an innovation economy — creating at least 80,000 new high tech, innovation, higher wage jobs by 2030. We will continue to combine local entrepreneurship with cutting edge technology and innovative thinking to develop talent, create jobs and keep our children in Hawaii.”
