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Unemployment rate down to 2 percent in Maui County for May

The Maui News

The unemployment rate for Maui County in May remained at 2 percent, which was the same as April, but down from 2.6 in same month last year, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported Thursday.

The county figure is not seasonally adjusted, meaning it doesn’t take into account seasonal fluctuations in employment.

Overall, the state showed a 2 percent unemployment rate in May. That figure was seasonally adjusted, and it remained unchanged from April. This translates to 672,800 who were employed and 13,950 people unemployed in May, for a seasonally adjusted labor force of 686,750.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8 percent in May, compared to 3.9 percent in April and 4.3 percent in May last year.

On Maui island, the nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May was 1.9 percent, the same as April; Molokai had a 5.1 percent rate for May, up from 4.8 percent in April; and Lanai’s jobless rate was at 1.6 percent in May, down from 2 percent in April. In May last year, the unemployment rates were 2.5 percent for Maui, 5.8 percent for Molokai and 2.9 percent for Lanai.

In another measure of employment, there was a statewide gain of 1,800 nonagricultural jobs from April to May.

Within the major sectors, there were more jobs in construction (plus 600); professional and business services (plus 500); trade, transportation and utilities (plus 400); information (plus 100); and other services (plus 100). Jobs in the financial activities and leisure and hospitality sectors remained unchanged.

Job losses were seen in manufacturing (minus 200); and education and health services (minus 300).

Government employment grew by 600 jobs, primarily due to seasonal variation in the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii system. Over-the-year, total nonfarm jobs increased by 11,300, or 1.7 percent.

Initial claims for unemployment increased by 36, or 2.8 percent, and claims for additional weeks of benefits dropped by 676, or 8.7 percent, compared with a year ago.

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