Hawaii Labor Force and Unemployment Rates For October Shows Sluggish Recovery

The statewide unemployment rate has been slowly improving between September (15.2%) to now (14.2%), but Hawaii has a long way to go to reach pre-pandemic rates (2.6%). On Hawaii Island, the official unemployment rate did not change, sitting at 13.5%. The unemployment reached 23.6% in April and May, then bounced back to 13.9% in June, but hasn't recovered notably since. Hawaii's unemployment rate is the highest in the nation for the both Sept and Oct, with Nevada in second at 12%. The national unemployment rate has dropped to 6.9% in October, the rate has decreased in 37 states in the latest data. Looking at surging case numbers across the mainland, it's likely the recovery trends in some states slow or reverse in next month's update from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.