Special Report

Hawaii's Changing Economy

January 2023

Monday, January 23

Proposed $1 Billion Hydrogen Fuel Hub Signals A New Start For Reenergized Hawaii Agency

Wednesday, January 4

Tens Of Thousands In Hawaii May Be Working Less Because They Have ‘Long Covid’

December 2022

Wednesday, December 7

A Maui Grocery Store Is Surviving Supply Chain Woes With ‘Personality And Nostalgia’

Wahiawa’s New ‘Ad Hoc Mayor’ Has The Vision And The Power To Help His Hometown

November 2022

Friday, November 18

Help Wanted: Retailers Redouble Calls For Holiday Workers

September 2022

Sunday, September 11

Hawaii-Made Aloha Wear Is A Surprising — And Lucrative — Cottage Industry

March 2022

Monday, March 21

Maui Needs To Do ‘Something Extraordinary’ To Diversify Its Economy. But What?

Sunday, March 20

The City And State Have Thousands Of Jobs Open. But Can They Find Enough Workers?

Wednesday, March 9

Good Luck Finding A Place To Rent If You Own A Pet — Especially On Maui

February 2022

Wednesday, February 23

Native Hawaiian Entrepreneurs Get A Boost From E-Commerce Giant Shopify

Sunday, February 13

What Would You Do With $100? Locals Weigh In On Proposed Tax Refunds

January 2022

Sunday, January 30

Hawaii To Tourists: Malama Our Land And Culture. Tourists: What’s ‘Malama’?

Thursday, January 13

It’s Tough To Figure Out Just How Hard The Pandemic Has Hit The Hawaii Economy

December 2021

Monday, December 6

In Kaimuki, Eclectic Businesses Are Rising From The Ashes Of The Pandemic

November 2021

Wednesday, November 24

50 Years Later, Hawaii’s Law Requiring Professional Licenses Could Be In For An Overhaul

October 2021

Friday, October 15

Can Farm Tours, Bird-Watchers and Storytellers Save Hawaii Tourism?

Sunday, October 10

Remote Work Is Here To Stay. You Can Thank The Pandemic For That

Thursday, October 7

Accelerator’s New Venture Fund Is Helping Ag-Based Companies Expand

Tuesday, October 5

This Company Makes Jet Fuel From Water, Sunlight And CO2

September 2021

Friday, September 24

Hawaii’s High Cost Of Living Just Keeps Getting Higher

Monday, September 13

These Hawaii Firms Are Pushing Innovation Amid The Pandemic

August 2021

Sunday, August 8

Hawaii’s Tourism Industry Is Bouncing Back. But Where Are All The Jobs?

July 2021

Thursday, July 8

Hawaii’s Travel Rules Are Ending But Restrictions On Other Businesses Linger

June 2021

Wednesday, June 9

$9 For A Loaf Of Bread? Here’s Why It’s So Expensive To Eat At Home These Days

May 2021

Sunday, May 2

Here’s Why It’s So Hard To Reshape Hawaii’s Tourism Industry

April 2021

Monday, April 12

Why One Developer Is Banking On More Digital Nomads Coming To Hawaii

Wednesday, April 7

Dark Clouds Are Looming Over Hawaii Even As The Economy Appears To Be Improving

March 2021

Tuesday, March 30

‘What About Us?’: Retailers Struggle To Find Their Way Through The Pandemic

Thursday, March 4

Hawaiian Airlines Is Holding Off On More Layoffs — For Now

Monday, March 1

Hawaii’s Summer Tourism Season Is Looking Promising

February 2021

Thursday, February 11

The Construction Industry Is Still Going Strong In Hawaii. It May Get Even Stronger

Tuesday, February 9

Stabilizing Or Stalling? State Officials Explain Why Hawaii’s Recovery Plan Will Take 2 Years

January 2021

Wednesday, January 6

The Continuing Clout Of Hawaii’s Public Worker Unions

December 2020

Wednesday, December 2

Has The Hawaii Tourism Industry Lost Its Clout?

November 2020

Monday, November 23

‘Treading Water’: Working From Home Hasn’t Hurt Hawaii’s Office Rental Market — Yet

Monday, November 9

Executives Foresee Long-Term Changes To The Workplace After COVID-19

Tuesday, November 3

7 Ways To Repair Hawaii’s Broken Economy

October 2020

Thursday, October 29

Dark Days: Hawaiian Airlines’ Struggles Reflect The Pain Of The Tourism Industry

Wednesday, October 28

Chinatown Rising: Businesses Are Finding Cool New Homes Amidst The Pandemic

Sunday, October 25

Oahu Bar Owners Are Crying Foul Over City Restrictions

Tuesday, October 20

New State Program Helps Businesses Adapt To A Changing Economy

Thursday, October 15

Airlines Predict A Long Slow Recovery Even As Tourism Returns

Monday, October 12

Will Hawaii Finally Be Able To Break Its Dependence On Tourism?

Monday, October 5

Report: Tenants And Landlords Alike Are Struggling

September 2020

Thursday, September 24

Panel: We Need Solid Data To Predict Hawaii’s Economic Future

Tuesday, September 15

Can Military Spending Prop Up Hawaii’s Faltering Economy?

Monday, September 14

Economist: Hawaii’s Economic Fall Will Be Worse Than Predicted

Wednesday, September 2

The Cost Of Failure To Contain The Virus? Massive Layoffs

August 2020

Monday, August 31

Kauai Businesses Are ‘Hanging On By A Thread’ Without Tourists

Friday, August 28

Women Were Already Struggling At Work. The Pandemic Is Making It Worse

Thursday, August 27

Grief And Desperate Hope As Small Businesses Brace For Second Shutdown

Sunday, August 23

The Tremendous Cost Of Feeding The Hungry In Hawaii

Wednesday, August 19

Is COVID-19 Spreading Because People Have Gotten Tired Of Restrictions?

Thursday, August 13

People In Hawaii Are Struggling. The Nonprofits That Help Them Are Too

Monday, August 10

The State Has A Plan For When To Reopen Or Reclose. Why Aren’t We Following It?

July 2020

Wednesday, July 29

Our Struggling Economy: The First ‘Cliff’ Is Almost Here And A Second One Is Looming

Wednesday, July 15

How This Special Legislative Committee Has Worked To Keep Hawaii’s Economy Afloat

Monday, July 13

Shuttered Churches, Temples Got Millions From Feds

June 2020

Thursday, June 25

Hawaii Economic Chief: Tourism Is ‘Who We Are’ And Must Be Rebuilt

Monday, June 15

Hawaii Economy Faces ‘A Long Slow Road Back’

Sunday, June 14

Big Island Officials Are Frustrated That Opportunity Zones Haven’t Drawn New Investment

Saturday, June 6

Hawaii’s Wedding Business Has Been ‘Completely Demolished’

May 2020

Wednesday, May 13

The Pandemic Ignites A Bike Boom In Honolulu

Tuesday, May 12

Hawaii’s Struggling Farms Want The State To Become A Bigger Customer

April 2020

Wednesday, April 8

Hawaii Businesses Affected By COVID-19 Could Face Tough Fights With Insurers

Monday, April 6

Hawaii Banks Start Rolling Out Relief To Small Firms

March 2020

Sunday, March 29

Will Feds’ Relief Package Be Enough To Keep Hawaii’s Small Businesses Afloat?

Wednesday, March 11

Jobs In Hawaii: The Future Looks A Lot Like The Past

Tuesday, March 10

Lawmakers Want To Subsidize Big Rate Increases By Hawaii’s Only Interisland Shipper

Wednesday, March 4

Hawaii’s Largest Private College Is Fighting For Its Future

February 2020

Tuesday, February 11

Hawaii Lawmakers Are Showing A Little Love For Kona Coffee

January 2020

Tuesday, January 28

Report: Two-Thirds of Hawaii Residents Struggle Financially

Tuesday, January 7

Vacation Rentals Are Still Thriving In Kailua

Monday, January 6

Cyber Spies Are Quietly Boosting Hawaii’s High Tech Economy

December 2019

Friday, December 20

Economists: High Living Costs Continue Driving Hawaii Residents Away

November 2019

Tuesday, November 19

Energy Giant AES Has A Big — And Growing — Footprint In Hawaii

Friday, November 15

Report: Hawaii’s Economic Growth Is The Lowest In The Nation

Tuesday, November 5

Hawaii Gas Faces Uncertain Future In State’s Renewable Energy Push

October 2019

Wednesday, October 23

Conflicts, Antitrust Questions Raised Regarding Maui Solar Farm

Thursday, October 17

Hawaii’s Green Energy Projects Search For Ways To Navigate Community Opposition

Wednesday, October 16

Why Hawaii Still Has So Few Electric Cars

Thursday, October 3

How ‘Green Fees’ Might Offset The Hidden Costs Of Tourism In Hawaii

September 2019

Monday, September 23

Why No One Knows How Many Green Energy Jobs Exist In Hawaii

Tuesday, September 10

Will Hawaii Electric Customers Ever Save Money With Renewable Energy?

August 2019

Tuesday, August 27

Air Travel’s Carbon Footprint Takes A Big Environmental Toll In Hawaii

Thursday, August 22

Can This New Hawaii Venture Become The Stock Fund For Millennials?

July 2019

Thursday, July 18

How These Travel Hotspots Are Trying To Make Tourism Pay Its Own Way

Wednesday, July 17

Hawaii Struggles To Maintain Its Worn-Out Hiking Trails

Thursday, July 11

How Kailua Became A Tourist Town

Wednesday, July 10

9 Charts That Show How Hawaii Tourism Is Changing

10 Million Visitors: Can Hawaii Survive Its Own Popularity?

Tuesday, July 2

Selling Students On A Future Career, Not Just A Degree

June 2019

Thursday, June 20

Hawaii Has The Lowest Health Care Costs, Thanks To Strong State Laws

Friday, June 14

No One Knows How Many Homes Are Sitting Empty Despite Housing Shortage

Monday, June 10

Kakaako’s Empty Condos: ‘At Night, It’s A Ghost Town Down Here’

Monday, June 3

Hawaiian Electric’s Ambitious Plan To Quit Using Coal Is A ‘Moon Mission’

May 2019

Monday, May 20

Can These Unlikely Partners Help Diversify Hawaii’s Economy?

Monday, May 6

Wanted: People Who Can Make Useful Sense Of Vast Amounts Of Data

April 2019

Friday, April 26

Will One Of These Fledgling Companies Be Hawaii’s Next Big Brand?

Friday, April 19

Can A Sustainable Industry Be Built From An Invasive Species?

Tuesday, April 16

The High Price Of Luring The Movies To Hawaii

Thursday, April 4

Hawaii’s Population Decline Signals Future Economic Challenges

Tuesday, April 2

Beyond Hotels And Beaches: Can Hawaii Really Diversify Its Economy?

Civil Beat Wants To Find Out Where Hawaii’s Economy Is Headed

Proposed $1 Billion Hydrogen Fuel Hub Signals A New Start For Reenergized Hawaii Agency Getty Images/iStockphoto

Proposed $1 Billion Hydrogen Fuel Hub Signals A New Start For Reenergized Hawaii Agency

By /
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism floundered under the Ige administration.
Tens Of Thousands In Hawaii May Be Working Less Because They Have ‘Long Covid’ Ronen Zilberman/Civil Beat/2021

Tens Of Thousands In Hawaii May Be Working Less Because They Have ‘Long Covid’

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A University of Hawaii researcher says the lingering disease may be contributing significantly to Hawaii's labor shortage.
A Maui Grocery Store Is Surviving Supply Chain Woes With ‘Personality And Nostalgia’ Marina Riker/Civil Beat/2022

A Maui Grocery Store Is Surviving Supply Chain Woes With ‘Personality And Nostalgia’

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Inflation is hitting everyone's pocketbooks, including the longtime families running Hawaii's mom and pop businesses.
Wahiawa’s New ‘Ad Hoc Mayor’ Has The Vision And The Power To Help His Hometown Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2021

Wahiawa’s New ‘Ad Hoc Mayor’ Has The Vision And The Power To Help His Hometown

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Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz has used his political clout to set in motion a major revitalization of the former plantation town.
Help Wanted: Retailers Redouble Calls For Holiday Workers Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2022

Help Wanted: Retailers Redouble Calls For Holiday Workers

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As Hawaii's economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, there's an abundance of job openings for seasonal employees.
Hawaii-Made Aloha Wear Is A Surprising — And Lucrative — Cottage Industry Stewart Yerton/Civil Beat/2022

Hawaii-Made Aloha Wear Is A Surprising — And Lucrative — Cottage Industry

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But as Hawaii's garment workers age and retire, young aloha shirt and apparel makers must scramble to keep production in the islands.
Maui Needs To Do ‘Something Extraordinary’ To Diversify Its Economy. But What? Ludwig Laab/Civil Beat/2022

Maui Needs To Do ‘Something Extraordinary’ To Diversify Its Economy. But What?

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Maui has been trying to diversify its economy for decades. But in 2019, half of all employees relied on the visitor industry.
The City And State Have Thousands Of Jobs Open. But Can They Find Enough Workers? Csilla Jaray-Benn/Flickr.com

The City And State Have Thousands Of Jobs Open. But Can They Find Enough Workers?

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Hawaii governments are flush with cash coming out of the pandemic and hope to fill open positions as well as create new ones.
Good Luck Finding A Place To Rent If You Own A Pet — Especially On Maui Marina Riker/Civil Beat/2022

Good Luck Finding A Place To Rent If You Own A Pet — Especially On Maui

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The No. 1 reason dogs and cats are surrendered to the Maui Humane Society is a lack of pet-friendly housing.