Jobs in Hawaii
When most people think of Hawaii, vacation imagery comes to mind, like sandy beaches, pineapples and palm trees. The thing is, while it maybe a recreational hotspot, many people live and work there. With the economy struggling, tourism is down. Because of this, jobs in Hawaii have taken a hit.
One industry in the state that depends on tourists for a large portion of its profits, is the retail sector. Vacationers looking for souvenirs often spend a good chunk of change, which in turn creates jobs in Hawaii, but fewer tourists means fewer jobs.
One retailer that has cut jobs in Hawaii because of failing sales is the DFS Group. This company operates around 40 duty-free stores, mostly situated in airports, geared toward visitors to the Aloha State. The retailer recently did away with 130 jobs in Hawaii.
According to Hawaiian newspaper The Star Bulletin, one of the largest decreases in tourism has been from Japan, with a 20 percent decrease in visitors for this country during September and a 9 percent total decrease since last year. The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism found that there has been around 91,000 fewer tourist visiting Hawaii from Japan.
“Certainly, you can see from the decline in arrivals from Japan that there has been a significant decline in our business,” said DFS’ vice president of global communication and government relations Sharon Weiner to the same newspaper.
Weiner went on to say that half of the Hawaiian jobs cuts had to deal with “a global corporate restructuring of warehousing, purchasing, management and other areas.” Despite this, she told the Star Bulletin that tourism and the current economy was also to blame.
“There’s a lack of consumer confidence in Japan,” said Weiner. “They have uncertainties in their own economy and have endured the same kind of severe shifts in their stock market.”
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