INSIGHTS ARE PRELIMINARY MATERIALS CIRCULATED TO STIMULATE DISCUSSION AND CRITICAL COMMENT. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS. WHILE INSIGHTS BENEFIT FROM ACTIVE UHERO DISCUSSION, THEY HAVE NOT UNDERGONE FORMAL ACADEMIC PEER REVIEW.

By Rachel Inafuku

Hawaiʻi has long faced one of the highest costs of living in the nation, creating persistent financial pressure for local families. Housing costs remain especially high, with median single-family home prices exceeding $1.1 million. Everyday expenses are also elevated: according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, prices for consumer goods in Hawaiʻi are 6% higher than the national average, while housing costs are 29% higher. These cost differences mean that Hawaiʻi residents must earn substantially more than their mainland counterparts to achieve a comparable standard of living. Against this backdrop, programs that help residents enter higher-paying career pathways can support household stability.

This UHERO insight is the second installment in UHERO’s partnership with Ben Castleman of the University of Virginia, examining labor market outcomes for participants in the Good Jobs Hawaiʻi (GJHI) program at the University of Hawaiʻi community colleges. GJHI provides tuition-free training in high-demand fields and serves a diverse group of students, from recent high school graduates to mid-career workers. While our first UHERO Insight summarized overall post-training wages and industry employment patterns, this analysis examines sector-specific labor market trajectories for students in healthcare, skilled trades, and technology to address the following question: Do occupation-specific, short-term training programs move participants onto higher-wage trajectories in Hawaiʻi?

Consistent with the initial analysis, average real quarterly wages for GJHI completers were more than $2,000 higher two quarters after program completion than two quarters prior. Beyond earnings gains, post-program employment shifted away from industries with higher concentrations of lower-wage jobs and toward industries with a greater share of higher-wage positions, aligning with GJHI training pathways.

Wage growth was most pronounced among participants who switched industries after completion, while industry “stayers” experienced more modest gains. This pattern is consistent with the “job-switching premium” documented in the labor economics literature, whereby workers who move to new jobs often realize larger wage increases than those who remain in their previous roles. At the same time, industry stayers began with higher pre-program wages and continued to earn more than the average industry switcher after completion, likely reflecting stronger prior labor market attachment and greater accumulated work experience. These aggregate trends, however, mask important differences across training pathways.

Healthcare

As in many other states, Hawaiʻi’s aging population continues to fuel strong demand for healthcare workers, compounding long-standing shortages of physicians, nurses, and other skilled professionals. Over the past decade, payroll employment in healthcare and social assistance has grown by 15%, while total nonfarm jobs grew by just 2% over the same period. This sustained expansion presents an entry point for individuals seeking in-demand careers.

Healthcare is the largest pathway within the GJHI program, accounting for more than half of all participants. Students enroll in a wide range of courses aligned with industry occupations such as radiologic technologists, phlebotomists, and pharmacy technicians. Compared with participants in technology and skilled trades, healthcare students tend to be younger and have shorter work histories on average. Many enter the program with only a high school diploma and no prior postsecondary credentials.

Among healthcare students who were employed prior to enrolling in GJHI, average quarterly earnings were approximately $10,000 one year before program entry. Two quarters after course completion, average quarterly earnings rose to $12,300 and remained elevated one year later. Earnings growth over this period was concentrated among participants who had previously worked in non-healthcare industries—such as retail trade and accommodation and food services—and switched into the healthcare industry after job training. For these individuals, average quarterly earnings were more than $5,500 higher two quarters after completion, corresponding to an annualized earnings increase of $22,000. These wage gains were more than double those of individuals who began and remained in the same non-healthcare industry after program completion.

Among healthcare students who were employed prior to the GJHI program, after the program, the number of completers working in healthcare and social assistance increased by 35%. Among early career starters (i.e., those who entered GJHI with a high school diploma or less and no observable prior work history), 53% obtained employment in the healthcare and social assistance industry after completing the program, compared with 35% among non-completers.

Skilled Trades

The construction industry continues to be a bright spot in Hawaiʻi’s labor market, buoyed by record-high levels of government contracting and construction job counts near historical highs in Maui County and Oahu. Wages in the sector are also well above the statewide average– average hourly earnings are approximately $49, compared with about $38 across all nonfarm jobs. Taken together, these conditions present an opportunity for students to obtain a well-paying, in-demand career in the skilled trades industry.

Over the four-year study period, nearly 1,000 GJHI participants enrolled in skilled trades training. Unlike the average healthcare participant, many skilled trades students were mid-career workers, with a mean age of 36. Educational attainment within this group was diverse. While the largest share held a high school diploma, a substantial portion had completed postsecondary education– 19% held an associate degree, 19% held a bachelor’s degree, and 5% held a graduate degree. Consistent with their stronger pre-program labor market attachment, skilled trades participants earned roughly $3,000 more per quarter on average than participants across all GJHI programs prior to enrollment.

Two quarters after program exit, skilled trades completers earned roughly $2,600 more per quarter than they did before entering GJHI. Employment patterns shifted toward construction-related work, as a larger share of completers were employed in the construction industry after program exit compared with the two quarters prior to enrollment. At the same time, employment among skilled trades completers declined in accommodations and food services and in retail trade, sectors that typically offer lower wages and lower-skill positions.

Technology

Employment opportunities aligned with technology training are somewhat more limited in Hawaiʻi. The professional, scientific, and technical services sector accounts for a smaller share of total employment in the state than nationally, constraining job options for technology-focused workers. Nationally, this sector represents nearly 7% of total nonfarm employment, whereas in Hawaiʻi it accounts for just 4% of payroll jobs. In addition to its smaller footprint, average salaries in the sector tend to be lower in Hawaiʻi than in other states, further intensifying labor market challenges for technology workers.

Despite its relative weakness, this sector presents a distinct set of opportunities for participants enrolled in GJHI technology courses and tends to attract a different student demographic. Like skilled trades participants, technology students tend to be mid-career workers. Half of technology students have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with roughly one-third of the overall GJHI student population. Consistent with this profile, technology students also enter the program with substantially higher earnings, averaging about $19,000 per quarter prior to enrollment, compared with $13,000 for the mean GJHI participant.

Given their stronger labor market attachment and higher pre-program earnings, technology students may be using GJHI courses to refine or update existing skillsets rather than to facilitate a full career transition within Hawai’i. Consistent with this interpretation, the data show smaller wage increases following training and limited shifts in industry placement. After completing the program, 17% of technology students were employed in the professional, scientific, and technical services sector, compared with 14% before enrollment.

Conclusion

Taken together, labor market trajectories following GJHI participation varied across pathways, with student demographics differing by training sector. Healthcare completers experienced substantial increases in real quarterly earnings after program exit, particularly those who transitioned from non-healthcare fields into healthcare occupations. Skilled trades completers also realized wage gains, alongside employment shifts toward construction, manufacturing, and public administration, and away from sectors more commonly associated with lower-wage work. In contrast, technology participants—many of whom entered the program as mid-career workers with relatively higher pre-program earnings—experienced smaller wage gains and more modest changes in industry placement. Overall, these findings highlight how post-training earnings trajectories reflect both the specific skills acquired and the broader structure of Hawaiʻi’s labor market. As Hawaiʻi continues to face a high demand for workers in critical sectors alongside persistent cost-of-living pressures, workforce programs that align training with industry needs can address both challenges—placing workers in more stable, higher-paying jobs while helping employers meet demand.