jobs

This week has brought the harsh reality of social isolation into focus for Hawai‘i’s businesses.  State unemployment filings are now equal to over a third of Hawai‘i’s workforce. For businesses with fewer than 500 employees that make up 99% of all businesses here, the impact of COVID-19 is particularly acute. Here's an inside look at what businesses are going through.

Some 161,000 Hawai’i residents filed for unemployment in March.  The University of Hawai‘i’s economic research arm, UHERO, projected unemployment could temporarily spike to 25 percent due to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy.  In Hawai‘i, however, some companies need even more workers.

The standoff on Mauna Kea enters week five Monday as protesters continue to block the summit road to prevent construction of the Thirty-Meter Telescope. TMT supporters say if the telescope isn’t built, that could jeopardize employment opportunities for islands residents.

  Here in Hawai‘i, we’ve got a lot of veterans to celebrate.  Military veterans comprise over eleven percent of the population.  Overall, their unemployment rate is about the same as other residents though experts think younger vets, 18-24 match the national average of over twenty percent unemployed.  HPR’s Noe Tanigawa looks at challenges and and one veteran’s journey to success.

Sixty-five percent of jobs in Hawaii will require some college by the year 2018.  That, according to a study from Georgetown University.   As HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports, the state unveiled its plan to deliver qualified graduates in the workforce.