You might say Hawaii remains in the nation’s unemployment basement, but at least it’s not the deepest cellar. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the state jobless rate improved more than a point, from 10.3% to 9.2%, between January and February this year — the first time in single digits since the pandemic hit.

Of course, that’s after shooting from 2.1% just before COVID-19 arrived, to 22% — the nation’s worst slide. And the islands are still at the bottom. But the light above is visible now.