MEDIA RELEASE

The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations has announced the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was 5.2 percent, compared to the revised rate of 5.1 percent in December.

Statewide, there were 618,350 employed and 33,850 unemployed in January, for a total seasonally adjusted labor force of 652,200. Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.9 percent, up from 7.8 percent in December.

Initial claims and weeks claims for unemployment benefits were both down by 110 claims or -5.1% and 3,159 claims or -21.0%, respectively compared to one year ago.

Between December 2012 and January 2013, initial claims and weeks claims increased by 18.6% and 2.0%, respectively.

The unemployment rate figures for the State of Hawaii and the U.S. in this release are seasonally adjusted, in accordance with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) methodology. The not seasonally adjusted rate for the State increased to 5.4 percent in January from 4.8 percent in December.

In a separate measure of employment, total seasonally adjusted nonagricultural jobs declined in January 2013 by 400 over-the-month.

Within industry sectors, job gains were experienced in Construction (+600), Professional & Business Services (+600), and Other Services (+500). Since the 2nd quarter of 2012, construction employment has trended upward.

According to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, in the fourth quarter of 2012, there was an over-the-year increase of 49.5 percent in the issuance of private building permits.

Jobs in Professional & Business Services were boosted by expansion in Employment Services.

In January over December, job losses occurred in Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (-600), Leisure & Hospitality (-500), Manufacturing (-200), Financial Activities (-200), and Educational & Health Services (-200).

The largest drop within Trade, Transportation, & Utilities took place in Retail Trade. Within Leisure & Hospitality, job losses were concentrated in Food Services & Drinking Places.

In the public sector, employment remained stable over-the-month. Compared with January 2012, among major industry sectors, there has been prominent job expansion in Leisure & Hospitality (+2,700), Construction (+2,300), Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (+2,200), and Professional & Business Services (+1,900).