Hawaii’s unemployment rate declined in May, but remained above national average

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - In a strong sign of economic recovery, Hawaii’s unemployment rate declined in May to 8.1% ― the lowest figure since the start of the pandemic.

But the rate remains above the national average of 5.8%.

And the gains are not even, with Neighbor Islands continuing to see higher rates of unemployment.

The Labor Department put the number of unemployed people in Hawaii last month at 52,150, hardly a number worth celebrating but still a vast improvement from a year ago when more than 140,000 people were on the unemployment rolls.

Among all counties, Oahu had the lowest unemployment rate in May at 7.1%.

The figure was 7.8% in Hawaii County, 11.2% percent in Maui County, and 12.3% on Kauai.