HONOLULU — The Hawaii State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July was 3.5 percent, up from the revised rate of 3.4 percent in June.
Statewide, 660,650 were employed and 23,650 unemployed in July for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 684,300. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in July, the same as in June.
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 was 3.4 percent in July, dropping from 3.9 percent in June.
In another measure of employment, total nonagricultural jobs decreased by 400 over-the-month. Within the major industries, there were job gains in Leisure and Hospitality (+1,400), Educational and Health Services (+300), Other Services (+200), and Financial Activities (+100). The bulk of the rise in Leisure and Hospitality occurred in Food Services and Drinking Places. Employment in Manufacturing remained unchanged.
Job losses were experienced in Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (-100), Construction (-700), and Professional and Business Services (-900). Specifically, most of the drop in Professional and Business Services was in the Administrative and Support subsector, which had a significant rise in employment in the prior month. Government employment declined by 700 jobs, largely as a result of seasonal fluctuation at the Department of Education. In comparison with July 2015, total nonfarm jobs have expanded by 14,100, or 2.2 percent.