Hawaii Layoffs — December 2019
Employers in Hawaii recorded 4 WARN Act notices in December 2019, covering approximately 518 workers — marking a sharp increase from 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 accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 320 workers across 2 notices. At the same time, Retail reported 151 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 3 | 367 |
| Maui | 1 | 151 |
Honolulu felt the sharpest impact, 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 |
Leading the list was 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.
The filings reflect 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.