FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Iosua, Hawaii State Director,  miosua@mkadvocacy.com
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

HONOLULU, April 4, 2025—Job openings that can’t be filled is still a big problem for small businesses, according to the latest Job Report released yesterday by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which showed 40% of small business owners reporting in March they’re struggling to find help, up two points from February.

NFIB’s Jobs Report is a national survey of NFIB-member small-business owners, not broken down by state. The typical NFIB member employs between one and nine people and reports gross sales of about $500,000 a year.

“With the scheduled May 2 adjournment date of this year’s session of the Hawaii State Legislature less than a month away, small business owners can breathe a little sigh of relief that some of the most costly and harmful proposals failed to pass mandatory deadlines,” said Michael Iosua, state director for NFIB in Hawaii. “Small business owners have always asked for a period of predictability that allows them to make better calculations in their hiring and business expansion decision.”

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“With qualified workers in short supply, job openings stayed solid on Main Street in March. As spring progresses, fewer small business owners plan to create new positions, but they are looking to fill current vacancies.”

Highlights from the Latest Jobs Report

• Job openings were the highest in the construction, transportation, and manufacturing sectors, and the lowest in the agriculture and wholesale sectors. Job openings in construction were up ten points from last month, and up 12 points from March 2024. Openings in the transportation sector rose 23 points from February to 53%.
• The percent of small business owners reporting labor quality as their top operating problem was unchanged from February at 19%.
• Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners fell one point in March to 11%, only two points below the highest reading of 13% reached in December 2021.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 38% of small business owners reported raising compensation in March, up five points from February. A net 19% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, up one point from February.

Keep up with the latest Hawaii small-business news at www.nfib.com or by following NFIB Hawaii on X @NFIB_HI.

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For more than 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB Hawaii
745 Fort Street Mall 17^th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-541-9050
NFIB.com
X: @NFIB_HI