Despite a recent slump, Hawaii's tourism idustry is still the state's largest employer.
Statewide, Hawaii's list of top 20 occupations has remained fairly steady despite recessionary pressure and a national and state trend of job cuts and unemployment. On Hawaii's four main islands, the tourism industry is a major employer providing direct service jobs in hotels and restaurants as well as industry support jobs in management, sales and financial services. Health care, education and social services are areas of the economy that are expected to see the most significant growth through 2018. Meanwhile, construction and extraction occupations have lost more than 5,000 workers over the past several years, and that trend is expected to continue.
Hawaii Island
The majority of workers on Hawaii Island are engaged in occupations that support the tourism industry. The hospitality and leisure industry employs 12,400 workers, the food prep and service industry accounts for another 10,700 jobs and retails sales provides work for 8,700 residents of the island. Trades, transportation and utilities collectively employ 12,800 workers, and federal, state, and local government provides 12,550 jobs.
Maui
Tourism and agriculture have been the traditional economic base of Maui, although a relatively small number of workers are employed on the island's pineapple, onion and flower farms. Occupations that support the island's tourism industry include management professionals, which make up 29 percent of the workforce, and food and hospitality service workers, who account for 26 percent of the island's workers. The education, health care and social services and industries employ 6,000 residents of Maui, with 950 of those people working in schools and training programs, and 5,050 working in hospitals, clinics and social assistance agencies. Over the past several years, the island has seen a large influx of high-tech companies that have provided jobs in the biotech, information and communications industries.
Oahu
The three biggest employers on the island of Oahu are restaurants, hotels and fast-food restaurants. Those occupations involve roughly 40 percent of the island's workforce. The health-care industry employs 46,800 of the island's workers, and 12,950 residents of Oahu have jobs in the field of education. The construction industry lost 1,400 jobs over the past several years because of reductions in both the residential housing and resort markets. However, the building industry and trades still employ more than 20,000 people. Other significant areas of the island's economy are air transportation, which employs 5,794 workers, and retail businesses that provide 5,495 jobs.
Kauai
Over the years, Kauai's main occupations have shifted from jobs supporting the sugar industry to occupations in tourism. Those service occupations employ 7,700 people in restaurant and hotel jobs, 5,500 people in sales and trade positions and 2,450 workers in administrative support jobs. Health care is another other major employer, with 2,250 workers. Mining, logging and construction trades account for 1,400 jobs on the island.
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