State jobless rate
down slightly
Hawaii's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell a tenth of a percent to 4.1 percent in November, but the rate marks an increase from 3.9 percent in the same month last year.
The state is still well behind the national unemployment rate, which stood at 5.9 percent for the month, the same as one year ago.
Seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers take into account regular fluctuations throughout the year, such as teachers and students being out of school. By factoring in those numbers, the line of unemployment is flatter and will not show the dramatic shifts seen in unemployment numbers that aren't seasonally adjusted.
University of Hawaii economist Byron Gangnes characterized the November results as "more of the same."
"This is a continuation of the same picture we've seen over the last year, which is that the Hawaii job market is much healthier than many places on the mainland," he said.
Most employment gains in the state were in non-agricultural jobs which expanded by 4,500 positions in November over October. Of that number, two thirds of the growth came from the private sector. Seasonal employment helped the retail trade add 1,300 positions. Likewise, food and drink establishments added 500 jobs, while public education gained 1,700 positions. Private education added 400 jobs. Professional and business services, which includes advertising and legal firms, also added 400 jobs. Government jobs declined by 300.
There were 582,900 people employed and 25,000 unemployed statewide in November for a total labor force of 608,500. Compared with November 2002, total non-agricultural jobs have increased by 10,200 or 1.8 percent.
