Hawaii Layoffs — October 2019
Employers in Hawaii reported 8 WARN Act notices in October 2019, displacing an estimated 1,433 workers — signaling an acceleration from September. The average filing covered 179 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 642 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 366 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 290 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 126 |
| Education | 1 | 8 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 1 |
The Accommodation & Food sector topped the list of affected industries with 642 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 366 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 6 | 1,306 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 126 |
| Kauai | 1 | 1 |
Honolulu absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 91% of all affected workers with 1,306 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 5 | 1,269 |
| Hilo | 1 | 126 |
| Kailua | 1 | 37 |
| Lihue | 1 | 1 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 940 |
| Layoff | 2 | 38 |
The high proportion of closures (66% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Hawaii's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong Building Maintenance & Supplies of Hawaii | Honolulu | 329 | ||
| Papa Johns | Honolulu | 321 | Closure | |
| Blue River Mexican Grill | Honolulu | 321 | Closure | |
| BAE Systems | Honolulu | 290 | Closure | |
| Legacy Hilo Rehabilitation and Nursing Center | Hilo | 126 | ||
| Cerner | Kailua | 37 | Layoff | |
| Honolulu Academy of Art, Spalding House | Honolulu | 8 | Closure | |
| Pahio at Kauai Beach Villas Interval Owners Association DBA Kauai Beach Villas | Lihue | 1 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Armstrong Building Maintenance & Supplies of Hawaii at its Honolulu facility, reporting 329 affected workers. Papa Johns followed with 321 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Hawaii labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Hawaii. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Hawaii WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.