Hawaii Layoffs — April 2020
Employers in Hawaii filed 17 WARN Act notices in April 2020, impacting roughly 3,037 workers — representing a pullback from March and up 4798% versus April 2019. The average filing covered 179 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 9 | 1,712 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 404 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 350 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 212 |
| Transportation | 2 | 212 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 129 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 18 |
The Accommodation & Food sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,712 workers across 9 notices. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 404 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 9 | 1,925 |
| Hawaii | 3 | 572 |
| Maui | 3 | 461 |
| Kauai | 2 | 79 |
Honolulu bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 63% of all affected workers with 1,925 workers across 9 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 6 | 1,557 |
| Maui | 2 | 393 |
| Kaneohe | 1 | 350 |
| Kona | 1 | 288 |
| Kailua-Kona | 2 | 284 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 15 | 2,777 |
| Closure | 1 | 212 |
Closures accounted for 7% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Food Group | Honolulu | 519 | Layoff | |
| JTB Hawaii | Honolulu | 404 | Layoff | |
| Kualoa Ranch | Kaneohe | 350 | Layoff | |
| Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keahou Bay | Kona | 288 | Layoff | |
| Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay | Kailua-Kona | 250 | Layoff | |
| Montage Kapalua Bay | Maui | 249 | Layoff | |
| Meadow Gold Dairies | Honolulu | 212 | Closure | |
| TEG Hotel LLC DBA Best Western The Plaza Hotel and Airport Honolulu Hotel | Honolulu | 163 | Layoff | |
| The Hertz | Maui | 144 | Layoff | |
| Hard Rock Cafe International STP | Honolulu | 130 | Layoff | |
| Team Clean | Honolulu | 129 | Layoff | |
| Enterprise Holdings | Kahului | 68 | Layoff | |
| No Ka Oi | Hanapepe | 48 | ||
| Flying Food Group | Kailua-Kona | 34 | Layoff | |
| Flying Food Group | Lihue | 31 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Flying Food Group at its Honolulu facility, reporting 519 affected workers. JTB Hawaii followed with 404 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a mixed picture for Hawaii's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.