While Hawaiʻi’s doctor shortage widens, vacancies in other healthcare jobs are shrinking, according to the Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi’s biannual report.
Non-physician healthcare job openings decreased by 20% between 2024 and 2026. The largest decrease in vacancy rates occurred on the neighbor islands, where the greatest need for healthcare professionals exists.
That’s due to collaborative efforts from the state, universities and private partners, the report says, which together invested in training opportunities for high-priority jobs. There’s been a deliberate focus on creating programs on the neighbor islands, association President and CEO Hilton Raethel said.
“This is not a Honolulu-centric program. It’s a statewide program,” he said.
Of the 34,001 healthcare profession jobs surveyed in 2026, 3,739 remained open. That’s 930, or 20%, fewer unfilled positions than in 2024. In those two years, the total statewide vacancy rate fell from 14% to 11%.
On Oʻahu, the vacancy rate dropped from 12% in 2024 to 10% in 2026. On the neighbor islands, vacancy rates dropped 3 to 5 percentage points.
Lānaʻi was the only island that did not see a decrease in its vacancy rate. The percent of open positions instead crept up to 33% in 2026, with a total of 20 open positions.
The island, which has a population of roughly 3,300, needs laboratory professionals the most, the report says. There were 18 open positions for medical laboratory scientists and technicians. Those professionals perform testing like blood and tissue samplings, which helps doctors diagnose and treat disease.
The biennial report provides data that will help the healthcare association determine what training programs need to be invested in, Raethel said.
Through entry-level health certification programs, the association hopes to attract high school students to jobs in-state. Nineteen high schools across the state, including eight on the neighbor islands, have one of the association’s healthcare certificate programs. Over 400 participating students were employed after graduation, according to the report.
“The whole point of the report … is to better match supply and demand,” Raethel said. “It’s our job, working with all our partners, to work on the supply side.”
The greatest demand for workers across the state exists in entry-level positions, which account for 44% of all vacancies. That includes certified nurse aides, medical and nursing assistants and phlebotomists, who draw blood samples.
As the association continues to monitor vacancies, Raethel said, it is able to tailor its programs and investments to where demand is greatest. “It’s all about pivoting. That’s one of the beauties of the data,” he said.
Demand For Healthcare Workers May Grow
While Hawaiʻi has made strides in meeting the healthcare professional need, the demand for jobs could grow as the state ages and invests in new facilities.
The Big Island received funding for two new hospitals this past legislative session. Soon, the island will need doctors and staff to fill those facilities.
The new hospitals will increase demand for health professionals, Raethel said. So will Hawaiʻi’s aging population, he added. One in four Hawaiʻi residents will be over 65 in 2035.
That super-aged population is more likely to get hurt, need routine medical care or live in care homes. While the number of job openings in hospitals, hospice and clinics decreased between 2024 and 2026, vacancies in assisted living facilities and home healthcare grew.
Keeping young people in the state will be key to ensuring there’s enough doctors and nurses to take care of them, Raethel said.
“The challenge is that the younger population is shrinking,” Raethel said. “We need a higher proportion of our young people to stay and go into the workforce to meet that need.”
