Isle jobless rate
By Russ Lynch
dips to 6.2%
Star-BulletinHawaii had 36,600 people out of work last month, 800 fewer than 37,400 in the year-earlier month, according to the latest survey by the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations.
The resulting unemployment rate of 6.2 percent was slightly lower than the 6.4 percent rate of September 1997 but still well above the U.S. average of 4.7 percent for last month.
State figures show 556,200 people in nonagricultural civilian jobs last month, 9,600 more than the 547,600 jobs reported for September 1997. However, the civilian labor force grew by 7,750 to 592,800 last month, compared with 585,050 in the year-earlier month.
Oahu's unemployment rate last month was 5.4 percent, the same as in September 1997. Unemployment on the Big Island improved to 8.4 percent from 9.9 percent and Maui improved to 6 percent, from 6.9 percent.
Kauai's jobless rate worsened, however, to 11.5 percent last month, from 10.4 percent. Molokai, traditionally the island with the highest jobless level, showed 16.6 percent unemployment last month, an increase from 15.8 percent in the previous September.
Lanai had only a 4.3 percent jobless rate, compared with 6.3 percent in the year-earlier month.
Looking at month-to-month changes rather than year-to-year, the department said there were 2,600 fewer jobs statewide in September than there were in August. Construction slipped by 500 jobs in a month and each of the food processing, clothing stores and restaurants segments reported 100 fewer jobs. The August statewide unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.
Business services lost 600 jobs and engineering, accounting and management services together lost 400. Hotels, reflecting a decline in tourism, lost 300 jobs since August.
On the plus side, general merchandise retailing gained 500 jobs since August and transportation, excluding airlines, gained 400 jobs. The reopening of schools added 500 jobs in private education and 200 in the state schools.
