Blogs
Q & A: Data Deluge!
1. THIS WAS A VERY BUSY WEEK FOR ECONOMIC NEWS. LETS START WITH THE HAWAII NEWS? Yesterday the Hawaii Tourism Authority released the April visitor numbers, and the string of strong visitor spending continues. April 2012 visitor spending of $1.17 billion was a record for the month of April, and after adjusting for seasonal variation […]
Read MoreQ & A: Positive Outlook on Hawaii Economy
1. UHERO RELEASED ITS SECOND QUARTER STATE FORECAST UPDATE—”VISITOR INDUSTRY STILL LEADING RECOVERY”. HOW STRONG IS THE VISITOR INDUSTRY RECOVER? In the first quarter of 2012, the total number of visitors to the state surged 8.5% above previous-year levels. Visitor days rose more than 9%, and spending is up more than 14%. We are forecasting […]
Read MoreSome Perspectives on Another Weak Employment Report
In April, US non-farm payroll jobs rose by a meager 115,000, and the unemployment rate fell slightly from 8.2% to 8.1% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lower unemployment rate resulted from a 196,000 decline in employment and an even larger 342,000 drop in the labor force. The civilian labor force participation rate fell […]
Read MoreQ & A: Legislative recap
1. SO WHAT DOES THE STATE HAVE PLANNED FOR THE NEXT TWO FISCAL YEARS? A review of the budget shows three main points: –Increased spending on education, medical, other state services. –Big increases in spending on capital projects. –Important state reserve funds have not been replenished. 2. LET’S LOOK AT EACH ONE OF THESE. WHAT’S […]
Read MoreQ & A: Unemployment Numbers
1. HAWAII’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE SEEMS TO ALWAYS BE BELOW THE US UNEMPLOYMENT RATE. HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON? Since the mid-1970s. It’s below the US rate in good time and in bad times.Consider the February 2012 unemployment rates for Hawaii and the US: Hawaii: 6.4% US: 8.3%. A difference of 1.9%.. 2. SO […]
Read MoreQ & A: The Fight Over Cycling Bike Lanes
1. HONOLULU HAS SEEN CONTROVERSIES RECENTLY OVER ESTABLISHING OR EXPANDING DEDICATED BICYCLE LANES. SHOULD THE CITY BE EXPANDING HONOLULU’S BIKE LANES? Yes. And for several very good reasons. First, given the current obesity epidemic, the City ought to be encouraging activities that provide residents with more opportunities to exercise. Bicycling lanes provide such opportunities. Second, […]
Read MoreDisappointing Employment Report
The addition of 120,000 jobs in March was much less than expected. The consensus was for an increase of 201,000 jobs and for no change in the unemployment rate. From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics March 2012 Employment Situation: Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 120,000 in March, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 8.2 […]
Read MoreGoing green: Green jobs in Hawaii
According to a March 22, 2012 press release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2010 there were 3.1 million “green” jobs in the United States of which 15,583 were located in Hawaii. The number at first might seem to be low compared to other states. However, percentage wise the number of people employed in “green” […]
Read MoreQ & A: Hawaii’s Green Energy Bank
1. HAWAII’S STATE LEGISLATORS HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING A PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A STATE-RUN BANK TO FUND CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS. HOW IS THIS BANK SUPPOSED TO WORK. House bill 1033 would establish a clean energy bank. The bill has been approved by the Senate’s Energy and Environment Committee. The state-run bank would make low-interest loans to […]
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