The Hawaii construction industry is expected to lead the economic recovery with jobs increasing 8.5 percent over the next two years, according to a state employment forecast released Monday.
Overall statewide employment is forecast to expand 2.9 percent, or 19,760 jobs, from the first quarter of 2014 to the first quarter of 2016, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said in its report, "Employment Forecasts for the Short-Term Future — 2016."
The construction sector, which is growing rapidly in Kakaako with the building of several condominium towers, is expected to create a net 2,580 jobs over the next two years.
"The forecast increase in construction jobs is consistent with other recent reports," Labor Department spokesman Bill Kunstman said.
Excluding construction support services, such as office positions, construction jobs are expected to grow 6.1 percent during the two years, creating 1,540 job openings annually.
Besides construction, all major industry groups should experience net job growth as well, the report said. The other leading categories are expected to be professional and business services, with job growth of 4.2 percent; and education and health services, with job growth of 3.5 percent.
Jobs in services, the largest group of occupations, will contribute the greatest number of openings with 8,810 annually. Many of these jobs will be of the food preparation and serving-related variety, and others will be in sales and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance.
Occupations with the largest number of employees and slower growth rates are seen dominating the top 20 occupations with the most job openings, the report said. Eight of these occupations are in the food preparation and serving-related group. They include waiters and waitresses; combined food preparation and serving workers; counter attendants of cafeteria, food concession and coffee shops; hosts and hostesses of restaurants, lounges and coffee shops; food preparation workers; dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers; restaurant cooks; and dishwashers.
