Hawaii jobs and job market: layoffs, colleges and workforce help
Independent page. Not from or affiliated with the State of Hawaii.
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Show me jobs near meHawaii economy
2.8%
unemployment, Sep 2026
2.1% the month before
694,892
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
1,445,635
people in Hawaii
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$98,317
median household income
Source: Census ACS
39%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Hawaii outlook: Cooling
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs up 3.2% from 2022 to 2025
- Population down 1.3% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 3.2%, up 0.9 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: hotels & food (+5,597 jobs), health care (+3,731 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: finance & insurance (−749 jobs), management of companies (−649 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Hawaii. Each link goes to the publisher.
- Honolulu summit focuses on building AI-ready workforce for HawaiʻiMaui Now · Nov 7, 2026
- 13 Honolulu Star-Advertiser staff affected in recent round of layoffsKHON2 · Nov 4, 2026
- Off the news: Alaska Air layoffs hit dozens in HawaiiHonolulu Star-Advertiser · Nov 3, 2026
Learn and get funded in Hawaii
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Hawaii layoffs
43
Layoff notices, last 12 months
125
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
39
employers
Employers hiring most in Hawaii
Employers with the most open professional roles on our job board right now.
- Bank of Hawaii34 open roles
- First Hawaiian30 open roles
- Hawaiian Electric Industries23 open roles
- Central Pacific Bank21 open roles
- Hawaiian Electric Company17 open roles
- Diamondresorts16 open roles
- U.S. Pacific Fleet15 open roles
- Hilton Worldwide Holdings14 open roles
- Akima Systems Engineering12 open roles
- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts10 open roles
- Remedy Staffing10 open roles
- Cherokee Nation Businesses9 open roles
Higher education in Hawaii
7
public and private non-profit colleges
Source: IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education
about 62,000
students enrolled
Estimated from size bands
Largest colleges in Hawaii
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Hawaii at Manoa | Honolulu | Public 4-year | 20,000+ |
| Brigham Young University-Hawaii | Laie | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Chaminade University of Honolulu | Honolulu | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Hawaii Pacific University | Honolulu | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| University of Hawaii at Hilo | Hilo | Public 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| University of Hawaii-West Oahu | Kapolei | Public 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
| Pacific Rim Christian University | Honolulu | Private non-profit 4-year | Under 1,000 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Hawaii. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in Hawaii? How to file for unemployment in Hawaii (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
5 American Job Centers in Hawaii
Conferences in Hawaii
Industry conferences and trade shows held in Hawaii, the ones worth a trip for hiring managers and job seekers. 10 with dates announced.
- CAS Annual Meeting
Nov 8 to Nov 11, 2026 · Honolulu, HI
Ticket $2,050 to $2,250. Late in-person fees; 2026 in-person is sold out, livestream $825 for members.
Open call for speakers · deadline Mar 31, 2026
- HSCPA Annual Conference
Nov 13, 2026 · Honolulu, HI
Ticket $290 to $390. Member $290 early/$340; non-member $340 early/$390
- Hawaii Accounting Research Conference
Jan 2 to Jan 5, 2027 · Honolulu, HI
Paid ticket. Fees not on page; presenter registration deadline Oct 12, general Oct 30 (2026 cycle). Other sources give Jan 3-6.
- AAAE Aviation Issues Conference
Jan 10 to Jan 14, 2027 · Koloa, HI
Paid ticket. Pricing not published on the events page.
- PTC (Pacific Telecommunications Council) Annual Conference
Jan 17 to Jan 20, 2027 · Honolulu, HI
Paid ticket. Categories include Full Conference, Networker, Young Professional, Student and Press; fees not on the main page.
- PTC Conference
Jan 17 to Jan 20, 2027 · Honolulu, HI
Ticket $575 to $1,525. Full conference: PTC individual member $575 (to Nov 2) rising to $725 onsite; member company/government…
- Aquaculture America
Feb 21 to Feb 24, 2027 · Honolulu, HI
Ticket About $275. Member registration $275 (student member $95, spouse $225); non-member price not seen. Includes trade show;…
Open call for speakers
- WEAI Annual Conference
Jun 27 to Jul 1, 2027 · Honolulu, HI
Paid ticket, price not listed
- ACM RecSys (Conference on Recommender Systems)
Aug 23 to Aug 27, 2027 · Honolulu, HI
Paid ticket, price not listed
- One Water Summit
Nov 1 to Nov 5, 2027 · HI
Paid ticket, price not listed
- AEC Client Experience Summit
Usually October (next dates not announced) · Honolulu, HI
Ticket $110 to $175. 2026 edition Oct 28: members $125, non-members $175, firm team rate $110 per person for 3 or more
- Healthcare Association of Hawaii Annual Meeting
Usually July (next dates not announced) · Honolulu, HI
Free expo, paid sessions. Members invited; price not listed
- SHRM Hawaii Conference & Expo
Usually October (next dates not announced) · Honolulu, HI
Paid ticket, price not listed
Hawaii counties
Each county page has its own unemployment, layoffs, job openings, employers, colleges and job centers.
Hawaii cities
Cities with open jobs, layoff notices, a job center or a college.
Laid off or looking for work in Hawaii?
See what to do first, what Hawaii unemployment benefits pay, and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS for population, income and unemployment; layoff notices from Hawaii’s published record; job counts from our live job board, taken from employers’ own career sites; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. Hawaii unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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