CONTRIBUTING to a neW model of work that benefits all

the challenge

42% of households in Hawaiʻi do not earn enough to cover the cost of a basic survival budget.

Aloha United Way, ALICE Report 2020

From 2007 to 2018, the number of low-wage jobs in Hawaiʻi increased by 29%, middle wage jobs decreased by 4%, and high wage jobs decreased by 28%.

Hawai’i Budget and Policy Center,
Hawai’i Wages and Household Costs

Hawaiʻi has 73 available workers for every 100 open jobs.

US Chamber of Commerce, Understanding America’s Labor Shortage: The Most Impacted States

What we’ve learned So Far

Traditionally, workforce development initiatives approach things from the economic perspective of supply and demand - labor market as a marketplace where recruiters and employees meet to fulfill demand and supply, respectively. To understand the challenges workers face, the HWFC conducted surveys to better understand the perspectives of supply-side (training providers) and demand-side stakeholders (employers).

Supply Side

Survey responses from 64 Hawaiʻi training providers

  • 48% report a need for more living wage jobs

  • 38% report a need for more training programs 

  • 40% report a need for better coordination with business to ensure the right skills are being taught

  • 63% report that the biggest barrier Hawaiʻi workers face is
    lack of support services like child care or transportation

  • 27% are optimistic about the prospect for high quality jobs in Hawaiʻi (73% are neutral or pessimistic about the prospect)

Demand Side

survey responses from 60 Hawaiʻi industry representatives

  • Of the 755 occupations in Hawaiʻi; only 26 have more than 100 openings per year AND a median wage greater than living wage (3.4% of occupations)

  • Report a need for better coordination between training and employers; think employers should drive curriculum

  • Express that in-state candidates do not have enough work experience or are perceived to “lack needed skills”

  • Report that hiring candidates from out-of-state leads to high turnover rates

  • Generally do not have the time, resources, or candidate pool for equitable hiring practices

Read the full reports to learn more about Hawaiʻi trainer/supply side and employer/demand side perspectives.

a way forward FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Trainer and employer viewpoints can seem at odds with one another and offer few solutions for the workers. The tension between the supply and demand data above reveals the need for a new narrative for understanding workforce development – one that moves away from employer-driven conversations of supply and demand, and towards acknowledgement of symbiotic relationships between job seekers, training providers, and employers.

By elevating the voice of workers and learners, we can build an education and workforce system that provides:

  • Opportunity for quality, meaningful work with family sustaining wage

  • Agency to choose a career pathway based on criteria that is important to workers and learners

  • Flexibility to choose a training pathway that works best for the individual and that serves everyone regardless of location and career status