There was an increase of 2,900 jobs compared with January 1996, when the jobless rate was 6.3 percent, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported yesterday.
However, January 1997's total was a decrease of 8,000 jobs from December, when the jobless rate was 5.76 percent. The department said that was due to seasonal layoffs, primarily in retailing, after the holidays.
The state jobless rate for January 1997 was slightly lower than the 5.9 percent national level. Also in January, there were 528,000 jobs in the islands compared with a revised figure of 525,100 for January 1996.
The number of unemployed was 500 greater than in December. Retail jobs in January were down by 2,800 from December, state education and social service jobs were down 2,600 from December. However, there was an increase of 400 jobs in hotels in January, compared with December.
Each island showed lower unemployment in January 1997 compared with the year-earlier month, except Molokai which had a slight increase and Lanai which was flat.
The statewide civilian labor force last month was 595,000, essentially unchanged from December and total employment was 560,600, down 600 from December.