Hawaii's unemployment rate slipped to 2.2% in November, keeping the islands comfortably ahead of the national labor picture and signaling a tight job market as the new year approaches. Maui County's not-seasonally-adjusted rate edged up to 2.6% even as statewide nonfarm employment logged modest year-over-year gains.
According to Hawai‘i DBEDT, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November came in at 2.2 percent, down from 2.5 percent in September. The agency reported 672,350 people employed and 15,350 unemployed, for a seasonally adjusted labor force of 688,000. The same report noted that October estimates were not published because of the recent federal government shutdown.
On the county level, Maui County's not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 2.6% in November, up slightly from 2.5% in September but down from 3.9% in November 2024, as reported by Maui Now. The split between the statewide and county figures is a reminder that each island's job market can move on its own rhythm.
Where The Jobs Moved
Payroll data showed total nonagricultural employment rising by about 400 jobs month over month. Construction added roughly 600 positions, Professional & Business Services and Private Education & Health Services each gained about 200 jobs, while Leisure & Hospitality lost around 1,000. Government employment increased by 600 jobs, driven largely by seasonal hiring at the Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i, and total nonfarm jobs were up 10,400 compared with a year earlier, according to Hawai‘i DBEDT.
How Hawaii Stacks Up
Hawaii's rate stayed well below the national average. The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.6% in November, and the state ranked among those with the lowest jobless levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That spread reflects a tight local labor pool alongside ongoing shifts tied to tourism, construction and public sector hiring.
What To Watch Next
Economists and island employers will be eyeing leisure and hospitality payrolls and visitor arrivals in the coming months to see whether November's job losses in that sector were just seasonal noise or the start of something more serious. Any meaningful change in tourism demand or construction activity could quickly show up in county-level unemployment rates for Maui and the rest of the islands.
