COVID-19
Survey on COVID-19 Business Mandates
The University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO) in partnership with the Pacific Alliance Against COVID-19 (PAAC), the City and County of Honolulu (OneOahu), and other partners are conducting a brief 10-minute survey for business managers and owners to understand the impacts of the new COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements on their business. In addition, responses […]
Read MoreBlog: COVID-19 Mandates: Recommendations for Hawaiʻi Businesses
By Ruben Juarez, Alika Maunakea, May Okihiro, and Carl Bonham Faced with the largest increase in cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaii needs effective solutions that would reduce the number of cases disproportionately ravaging communities in the state. In August 2021, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and the Pacific Alliance […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Mandates: Recommendations for Hawaiʻi Businesses
By Ruben Juarez, Alika Maunakea, May Okihiro, and Carl Bonham Faced with the largest increase in cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaii needs effective solutions that would reduce the number of cases disproportionately ravaging communities in the state. In August 2021, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and the Pacific Alliance […]
Read MoreThe HCRC Affordable Housing Endowment Annual Report of Activities
In 2018, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa established the HCRC Professorship in Affordable Housing Economics, Policy, and Planning, thanks to the generous donations of the Hawai‘i Community Reinvestment Corporation (HCRC), American Savings Bank, Hale Mahaolu Central Office, the Hawaii Housing Development Corporation (HHDC), the Hawai‘i Island Community Development Corporation (HICDC), Hawaiian Electric Charitable Foundation, […]
Read MoreTaxing Income in the New World of Teleworking
By Robert D. Ebel and James Mak Covid-19 has accelerated the growth of teleworking/telecommuting in the U.S. As a result, states are having to confront the challenge of determining how best to tax the incomes of employees who live in one state but work remotely for employers located in another state. In Hawaii a resident […]
Read MoreUHERO Forecast for the State of Hawaii: Vaccinations and US Strength Drive Upgraded Hawaii Forecast
Economic conditions in Hawaii are improving. The dominant US visitor market has outperformed expectations, and built-up savings and pent-up demand will drive mainland arrivals to near-normal levels in coming months. International markets will be much slower to recover. Local employment gains have been limited so far, but the vaccine rollout in Hawaii and nationally sets […]
Read MoreHow Bad? Labor Underutilization in Hawaii During the Pandemic
By James Mak The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently issued revised estimates of civilian labor force and unemployment in Hawaii for all of 2020. The new numbers show that in December 2020 Hawaii had the unenviable distinction of having the highest state unemployment rate in the nation (10.3%). For the entire year, Hawaii’s […]
Read MoreTraffic in Honolulu: How to Make Transitory Pandemic Gains Permanent
By Justin Tyndall and Sumner La Croix During the COVID-19 pandemic, Honolulu traffic became much less congested. Local and state governments could help residents keep the social benefits from traffic control by providing incentives to private firms to stagger hours and/or keep more employees working at home. A congestion zone fee to drive within the downtown-to-Waikiki corridor […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 infections, vaccines, and economic recovery
By Carl Bonham, Peter Fuleky, Byron Gangnes, and Justin Tyndall A year ago Hawaii was operating under its first COVID-19 Stay at Home Order. As business activity contracted, the state quickly shed more than 150,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate jumped from 2% to 22%. Today there is hope that the devastation brought by the […]
Read More