Hawaii Layoffs — August 2025
Employers in Hawaii filed 4 WARN Act notices in August 2025, impacting roughly 98 workers — representing a pullback from July and down 49% versus August 2024. The average filing covered 24 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 63 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 20 |
| Government | 1 | 10 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 5 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 63 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Arts & Entertainment reported 20 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | 3 | 93 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 5 |
Honolulu saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 95% of all affected workers with 93 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Aiea | 1 | 63 |
| La'ie | 1 | 20 |
| Honolulu | 1 | 10 |
| Hilo | 1 | 5 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 3 | 93 |
| Closure | 1 | 5 |
Closures accounted for 5% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claire's | Aiea | 63 | Layoff | |
| Polynesian Cultural Center | La'ie | 20 | Layoff | |
| Watabe Wedding Corp | Honolulu | 10 | Layoff | |
| Parts Center Hawaii | Hilo | 5 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Claire's at its Aiea facility, reporting 63 affected workers. Polynesian Cultural Center followed with 20 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across Hawaii, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Retail 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.