Hawaii Layoffs — December 2019
Employers in Hawaii logged 4 WARN Act notices in December 2019, involving roughly 518 workers — climbing above November. The average filing covered 130 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 320 |
| Retail | 1 | 151 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 47 |
The Accommodation & Food sector dominated layoff filings with 320 workers across 2 notices. Meanwhile, Retail reported 151 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 3 | 367 |
| Maui | 1 | 151 |
Honolulu bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 71% of all affected workers with 367 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 3 | 367 |
| Kahului | 1 | 151 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 338 |
| Layoff | 1 | 47 |
The high proportion of closures (65% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Hawaii's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Mai Tai Bar | Honolulu | 187 | Closure | |
| Pier 1 | Kahului | 151 | Closure | |
| Desert Island Restaurant | Honolulu | 133 | ||
| GP/RM Prestress | Honolulu | 47 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Mai Tai Bar at its Honolulu facility, reporting 187 affected workers. Pier 1 followed with 151 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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.