The decline in Hawaii’s population due at least in part to the out-migration of young working adults has been well documented. The reasons for this so-called “brain drain” include the state’s high cost of living and the difficult search for isle-based jobs that pay a sufficiently high salary.

And now a new study shows that the share of Hawaii jobs requiring education beyond a high school diploma is on the rise. According to a report from Georgetown University, the state’s average number of job openings annually between 2021 and 2031 was projected at 72,000 — 51,000 of them for applicants with postsecondary credentials.

Against that backdrop, a proposed expansion of the Hawaii Promise Program, an initiative to fill the tuition gap for college students, makes perfect sense. But state revenue projections have taken a downturn, curbing how much may be available.

Still, this crucial investment deserves a high priority ranking when lawmakers are making their final calculations.

The measure under review is House Bill 1535, which would extend scholarships to students attending the University of Hawaii’s three four-year campuses, as well as the community-college programs supported today.

The bill has passed its first two committee reviews and is positioned for a third-reading vote by the House, which should be a thumbs-up and a dispatch to the Senate.

Hawaii Promise was launched in 2017 to supply the “last dollar” students need to cover their tuition expenses, once other available financial resources have been tapped. Since then, the Legislature has found the funds to underwrite the program for at least those enrolling at the community-college level.

Community colleges offer trade and technical programs for students that pave the way to jobs that can pay a living wage. Additionally, those earning a two-year associate degree can continue to complete a bachelor’s degree at one of the four-year campuses.

That is why those advocating for the bill argue that it’s time to expand the support to UH’s four-year campuses, so that students can manage the higher tuition costs those higher-degree programs demand. Work-study programs on campus do help students earn money, but there are not enough of those opportunities, and many students from lower-income households do need an additional boost.

A lot of these observations have been laid out plainly in hearings convened by the higher-education and finance committees.

Dianne Deauna is a doctoral candidate and teaching assistant in oceanography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She noted in written testimony before House Finance members that the undergraduates she teaches are juggling school with demanding hours they need to work at paying jobs to handle the cost of school.

Many are from immigrant and working-class groups underrepresented in the student population, she added.

“My students work hard, are committed to their education, and I can only imagine that the opportunity to apply for a scholarship that would enable them to focus solely on their school work would allow for them to achieve more,” Deauna said.

That, ultimately, is the bottom line. HB 1535 should pass because it addresses a workforce need Hawaii faces for its future. When UH was in its building phase during the earlier years of statehood, the state invested a much larger share of public funds to support the system — keeping a lid on out-of-pocket tuition expenses — than it has in more recent decades.

It’s time for a reevaluation of how much isle students need help to get the credentials required for a job with a decent wage — and how much Hawaii needs them to succeed.