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Unemployment
rate drops, shows
improving economy

All islands except Lanai indicate
fewer people jobless than
a year earlier

By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii's employment numbers continued to show strength in June, with a drop in the unemployment rate to 4.7 percent from 6.4 percent in the previous June.

All islands except Lanai, where the small size of the survey sample can skew figures, showed lower unemployment than a year earlier, and the statewide jobless percentage was only half a percentage point higher than the national average of 4.2 percent.

A year ago, Hawaii's jobless rate was nearly two points above the national average of 4.5 percent. Economists have said that the closing of the gap this year is a strong indicator of an improved Hawaii economy while the national boom year has begun to slow.

A household survey, asking who is working and who wants to work, showed 28,500 unemployed last month, a drop of 25 percent or 9,450 people from 37,950 considered jobless in June 1999.

A separate and more detailed survey of employers showed 577,900 employed last month, 3.4 percent or 18,900 people more from 559,000 in the year-earlier month.

Oahu's jobless rate last month dropped to 4 percent from a year-earlier 5.5 percent. The Big Island, while at a much bigger 8 percent jobless level, was doing better than the year earlier's 11.3 percent.

Kauai had a jobless level of 6.7 percent last month, down from 7.8 percent in June 1999. Maui improved to a 4.3 percent unemployment level from a year-earlier 5.9 percent. Molokai declined to 15.5 percent from 17.4 percent, and Lanai increased to 2.9 percent from 2.3 percent.