Honolulu’s job market is improving, but at a slower pace than in the best-performing mainland cities, according to a report released Wednesday.
Honolulu’s unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent in April from 5.7 percent in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. April’s rate was the lowest since April 2011, when it was 5.1 percent.
However, other cities experienced even stronger job-market gains during the month. As a result, Honolulu dropped into a tie for the 46th lowest unemployment rate in April from 16th lowest in March.
The BLS surveys 372 metropolitan areas for the monthly report. Unemployment rates fell in 356 of the 372 metro areas, the BLS reported. There were 72 metro areas with unemployment rates below 6 percent, 30 with rates below 5 percent, and seven with rates below 4 percent.
The number of unemployed in Honolulu fell to 24,300 in April from 26,400 in March, according to the BLS. The total labor force, which includes both employed and unemployed, fell to 458,200 in April from 462,900 in March.
Metropolitan unemployment rates are not adjusted for seasonal changes, such as an influx of job-seekers into the labor market at the end of the school year.
Honolulu’s April unemployment rate compared with rates of 8.7 percent for Hawaii County, 7.7 percent for Kauai County and 6.5 percent for Maui County. The statewide unadjusted rate was 6 percent in April. When adjusted for seasonal factors, the statewide rate was 6.3 percent.
Bismarck, N.D., had the nation’s lowest rate at 2.8 percent in April. The job market in North Dakota has been helped by a boom in its oil drilling industry.
El Centro, Calif., reported the nation’s highest unemployment rate at 26.8 percent, followed by Yuma, Ariz., at 26 percent. The cities are in adjacent counties with heavy farm economies and large contingents of migrant labor. California accounted for nine of the nation’s 10 cities with the highest rates in April, the bureau said.
