Hawai‘i December 2025 Unemployment Holds at 2.2 Percent; 7,400 Jobs Added

Hawai‘i’s jobless rate remained low in December 2025 at 2.2 percent, unchanged from November, even as the state added 7,400 nonfarm jobs compared with a year earlier, the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism reported. The report said, "the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for December was 2.2 percent, the same as in November."

DBEDT reported that 674,050 persons were employed in December and 15,200 were unemployed, giving a seasonally adjusted labor force of 689,250 statewide. By comparison, the national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.4 percent in December, down from 4.5 percent in November. DBEDT noted that the state and national rates are seasonally adjusted in accordance with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics methodology and cautioned that "benchmarked data totals may not add due to rounding."

The establishment survey showed a small month-to-month dip in payrolls, with total nonagricultural jobs decreasing by 100 from November to December. Over the year, however, nonfarm jobs rose by 7,400, or 1.1 percent. Sector-level moves from November to December included gains in Trade, Transportation & Utilities (+400 jobs), Construction (+200), Professional & Business Services (+200), and Other Services (+100). Manufacturing, Financial Activities, and Private Education & Health Services each lost 100 jobs, while Information and Leisure & Hospitality were unchanged.

Government employment contracted by 700 jobs month over month, with most of the decline attributed to the Hawai‘i Department of Education, the University of Hawai‘i system and several state departments. These public-sector shifts are especially relevant to Big Island County, where school and university employment can be a significant local employer and where residents often feel the immediate effects of state hiring patterns.

For Big Island residents, the numbers signal a still-tight labor market compared with the U.S. average. The not-seasonally adjusted rate for the state was also 2.2 percent in December, compared with 2.4 percent in November, suggesting the stability is present in both seasonally adjusted and raw counts. Broadcast coverage summarized the figures in rounded terms, saying about 674,000 people were working statewide while around 15,000 were unemployed and noting the national rate of 4.4 percent.

Policy makers and local employers will be watching whether the modest month-to-month dip in payrolls becomes a trend or stays within normal seasonal variation. For workers and job seekers on the Big Island, the tight statewide unemployment rate generally means competition for openings remains strong, while the pullback in government positions may affect hiring and services tied to education and state departments. DBEDT will publish monthly updates that will show whether the year-over-year job gains deepen or cool in the months ahead.