The nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate last month for Maui was 5.5 percent, down 2 full percentage points from the same month last year, the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations reported Thursday.
The Maui rate also was down from 6 percent in September.
Statewide, the seasonally adjusted jobless rate for October was 5.5 percent, down from 5.7 percent in September. The last time Hawaii had an unemployment rate at or below 5.5 percent was in November 2008, a news release said.
The statewide data was adjusted for seasonal fluctuations in the number of employed and unemployed people, such as for the winter holiday and summer vacation seasons, and to allow for a better reflection of month-to-month changes. The island and county data were not seasonally adjusted.
For Maui County, the unemployment rate was 5.7 percent down from 6 percent in September and 7.7 percent in October 2011.
Molokai had the highest unemployment rate by island in the state at 14 percent, down from 14.4 percent last month and 17.8 percent last October.
Lanai had the lowest jobless rate in the state with 1.3 percent in October, down from 1.6 percent last month and 4.4 percent a year ago.
Statewide, there were 606,950 employed and 35,550 unemployed in October for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 642,500.
Since June, 11,900 jobs have been added to the state workforce, the report said.
Within industry sectors compared to last month, leisure and hospitality was up by 800 jobs, buoyed by a strong visitor industry; professional and business services were up 600 jobs; and construction and trade, transportation and utilities sectors rose by 300 jobs each.
The over-the-month job losses occurred in financial activities, down 100 jobs, and education and health services, down 200 jobs.
The total seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs statewide grew by 2,200 over the month.
Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 7.9 percent.
