Joblessness drops,
fewer people employed

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Star-Bulletin staff

The statewide unemployment rate in October dropped 1.3 percent from October 2001 but fewer people are working, according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Following a deluge of post-Sept. 11 unemployment claims last October, the statewide jobless rate was measured at 5.3 percent, with 575,500 people employed. Last month the unemployment rate dropped to 4.0 percent but the number of people with jobs also dropped. It fell 7,700 to 567,800. There were 32,250 people out of work in October 2001 versus 23,500 last month.

The net total of nonfarm jobs grew by 4,200, mostly due to seasonal hires in education, but also reflecting an increase of 600 nonmilitary federal jobs with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

Restaurants and bars reported 400 job losses in October, while there were 200 job losses each in the manufacturing and government sectors.

By island, unemployment decreased across the board year over year. While Molokai continues to top unemployment statistics at 8.8 percent, it is still lower than the year-ago rate of 9.5 percent. The 10.8 percent jobless rate on Lanai in October 2001 has vastly improved to 5.2 percent. Last year's 6.1 percent rate on Maui has improved to 4.1 percent. On the Big Island, joblessness decreased from 6.8 percent to 5.3 percent; Kauai's 7.0 year-ago figure improved to 4.8 percent and on Oahu, unemployment dipped from 4.8 percent to 3.6.

The national unemployment rate has been above 5 percent all year and was at 5.3 percent in October.