hawaii job market
question
Lisa,
first, thank you for the informative site you have! I am contemplating on moving to Ohau. Yes, I have been there a few times and actually spent a week trying to act like a local doing everything I would probably be doing while living there. The only concern I really have is the job market. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to share what you know of about the job market.
answer
Well, you are right to be concerned. Although sky-rocketing real estate costs may have pushed job market concerns to the side recently, jobs are usually the biggest problem with moving to or living in Hawaii. Many people have to hold multiple jobs to maintain their lifestyle because the cost of living is higher here in Hawaii than in the mainland *and* jobs here generally pay less than comparable jobs on the mainland.
However, right now the job market is smoking. There are tons of jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in the nation here in Hawaii. New industries to the islands such as farming (other than sugar) and technologies are really taking off. So, depending on what line of work you are in, things look pretty good right now.
Oahu is generally where the most jobs are, and also the highest prices .. oh, and the most people and traffic.
Lisa,
first, thank you for the informative site you have! I am contemplating on moving to Ohau. Yes, I have been there a few times and actually spent a week trying to act like a local doing everything I would probably be doing while living there. The only concern I really have is the job market. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to share what you know of about the job market.
answer
Well, you are right to be concerned. Although sky-rocketing real estate costs may have pushed job market concerns to the side recently, jobs are usually the biggest problem with moving to or living in Hawaii. Many people have to hold multiple jobs to maintain their lifestyle because the cost of living is higher here in Hawaii than in the mainland *and* jobs here generally pay less than comparable jobs on the mainland.
However, right now the job market is smoking. There are tons of jobs and the lowest unemployment rate in the nation here in Hawaii. New industries to the islands such as farming (other than sugar) and technologies are really taking off. So, depending on what line of work you are in, things look pretty good right now.
Oahu is generally where the most jobs are, and also the highest prices .. oh, and the most people and traffic.
1 Comments:
The job market in Hawaii is good for service jobs (hotel workers, waiters, store clerks, construction, et cetera), teachers, and nurses only. There really is no tech industry here to speak of, even though efforts have been made to attract tech. Most jobs are low paying and for those few professional jobs available, you will probably be passed over for a local candidate (even if the local is less qualified). If you are paid well on the mainland, be prepared to be paid maybe up to 20-30% less here. Star bulletin newspaper ran a sereies on this question a while back and you may find that helpful. By the way I'm not judging here, I'm just being real.
In addition to high real estate (median now is around 500,000 and for that you get a small condo or, by mainland standards, a shack), dismal job market, many mainlanders who transplant to Hawaii leave because the culture here is too different. And, by the way, I don't mean native Hawaiian culture, which is experiencing a revival. I mean the cacaphony of asian culture (filipino, japanese american, chinese american, samoan, micronesian, et cetera). We found it novel for our first year, and then realized we never would feel settled here.
My advice - if you have savings in the bank that can pull you through a job search and you don't mind working more than one job and being flexible in what kind of job you will take, come to Hawaii - its a great experience! Its not paradise for everyone, but you never know until you try. Good luck!
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home