Isle jobless figures up
only slightly -- for now

---

By Erika Engle
eengle@starbulletin.com

Hawaii's jobless numbers are three-tenths of a percent higher in September of this year than the same period last year, according to figures just released by the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The figures were not seasonally adjusted.

The Sept. 2001 unemployment rate is at 4.5 percent, versus 4.2 percent for the same month last year.

The figures don't reflect job losses after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because the unemployment percentages are based on a survey conducted in mid-September, the Labor Department said, before the big layoffs that came later in the month and in early October.

In the services industry, amusement and recreation companies lost 700 jobs, while hotels and air and water transportation sectors each lost 300 jobs over the month.

It's expected those figures will rise dramatically in the next Labor Department report.

The count in non-agriculture wage and salary employment was up by 1,100 jobs in September as compared to August.

By sector, the new school year caused a net increase in that public education gained 3,000 jobs while private schools grew by 900 jobs.

Contrasting those figures, local government jobs were reduced by 900 as summer ended and county programs concluded.

The new numbers translate to 577,700 people employed and 27,200 people unemployed. There was no change in statewide totals from August to September, but a look at year over year numbers shows a three-tenths of a percent increase in the City and County of Honolulu, no change in Hawaii County, a two-tenths of a percent decline on Kauai and various changes within Maui County.