Employment in Hawai`i

[Leo Lakio]

Honolulu-based AP writer Mark Niesse has done a story on Hawai`i having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. It has run in many papers throught the country this week (including Seattle's Post-Intelligencer, where I saw it.)

Here's one link to the story online:
http://news.findlaw.com/ap/o/51/03-2...f73847070.html

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Employment in Hawai`i

One of the side-effects of such a worker shortage is that you get more ill-trained workers. The other day at CompUSA, it took five employees to figure out how to properly ring up the rebates for my purchase. Maybe they were newly hired, but even so, aren't they supposed to get adequate training to do their jobs?

[Dale]

Re: Employment in Hawai`i

Oh my gosh, I see the people that are trying to work at my company and I sometimes mistake them as homeless. I mean, dress a little bit more decent for the interview. Brush teeth, comb hair, etc. Aya.

[damontucker]

Re: Employment in Hawai`i

I know plenty people here in Hawaii with college degrees that are working for under $10.00 an hour.

It's sad....

I work for the State and the Cost of Living here is going up more than the State Raises...and just to make ends meet... I have another P/T job that I can work at my own pace.

[Miulang]

Re: Employment in Hawai`i

Well, one downside to the low unemployment rate being publicized nationally (and internationally) is more and more people will want to move to Hawai'i because they can't find jobs anywhere else...unfortunately for many, they don't take the time to do adequate research into what it actually takes to live in Hawai'i, so they get here, possibly with a job already committed to, and no place to stay. Who says the homeless situation isn't everybody's problem in Hawai'i?

Miulang

[timkona]

Re: Employment in Hawai`i

I see the skilled trades needing workers everyday. Unemployment on the Kohala Coast of Big Island is absolutely zero. Hotels are starving for the unskilled. Construction crews are hungry for able bodies, especially the skilled and experienced, who can pretty much command $40+/hr with benefits.

[Dale]

Re: Employment in Hawai`i

You can say that again! We are always looking for experienced technie people! We can't really seem to find the right match for the right job at the right price. All the really good people moved to the mainland, and we can lure them back for anything! We try, but we can't!!!

There is this person that used to work for our company (very good at what he does) that used to (now moved on to brighter and better things) sell high-speed lines and technical consulting services to the NFL, Google and Cisco. Multi-million dollar contracts and he gets to work from home. He gets a nice commission of the billable amount every year. Company paid a good portion of his mortgage as well as a decent salary on top of that. He gets flexible hours (works whenever) and a small data center in his home (you could probably run the entire communication services of a small country). All equipment paid for plus all communication devices and monthly service to his utmost desire (wireless Internet, cell phone, digital TV, DSL, you name it, he got it). And, he is well under 40. He wants to come home to the islands at the same rate of pay and benefits plus relo.

We, as island employers, cannot match this level of compensation. There is no such animal!!! Question ... if given, this, why would you want to walk away from this type of employment??? But ..... it's not Hawaii!

There is no bentos on the mainland. There is no Zip Pac. I think there is Icee now, but it's not cheap. Crack seed too. He's a local dude, and is starving for local stuff. Matsumoto's Shave Ice doesn't have a location on the mainland either.

He might end up retiring here. There is no way he can work here!!!