Reports: Hawaii unemployment down, but job losses up; rate expected to average 7.3 in 2010
By APFriday, December 18, 2009
Reports: Hawaii unemployment down, job losses up
HONOLULU — The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says Hawaii’s unemployment rate stood at 7 percent in November, down from 7.3 percent in October.
But the U.S. Labor Department said Friday that Hawaii suffered statistically important job losses last month.
The national unemployment rate in November was 10 percent. It was 10.2 percent in October.
In all, unemployment dropped in 36 states and the District of Columbia in last month. But the trend appeared to reflect more people leaving the work force. Unemployed people who stop looking for jobs out of frustration aren’t counted in the labor force.
Meanwhile, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization predicts the state’s unemployment rate will average 7.3 percent next year before falling to 6.7 percent in 2011.
