The good news first: Hawaii’s economy is holding steady. According to the third quarter employment report from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, while the civilian labor force and employment both decreased, civilian unemployment and the unemployment rate overall also decreased, while civilian jobs that were not in the agricultural industry and salary job wages increased slightly.

People are working. They’re getting paid. The number of people currently out of work is falling. These are good things! Many of the job gains were found in the government sector, which added 2,200 jobs in the second quarter of the year, while the federal government added an additional 700 jobs.

If you’re not in a government sector position, however, what does this mean for you? What hiring trends can you expect in 2025 and how can you make sure you’re attracting high-quality candidates to join your team?

Let’s take a look.

What industries are on the rise in Hawaii?

If you’re in construction, agriculture, government and tourism, you should have another strong year ahead. The state’s resurging housing market means there will be a demand for construction and maintenance jobs, in addition to real estate positions to help get people into those homes. Tourism remains the state’s healthiest industry and that isn’t likely to change any time soon, with an anticipated increase in return visitors from Japan and other parts of the world. That being said, all industries will likely need to hire new employees, whether due to expansion, retirements or turnover. Which leads to the next question…

Which recruiting tools are most effective in Hawaii?

Passive recruitment: use online tools to scour websites, profiles and resumes to find people who have the qualifications and experience you’re looking for in a new hire, then contact them. It doesn’t matter if they’re currently employed; they might be looking to make a change or you might be able to make them an offer they can’t refuse. Workers today are interested in creating a career path for themselves that can help them achieve their goals and they’re willing to entertain options from outside companies if the right opportunity arises. Company loyalty is not the same now as it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago.

Make sure your web presence, including job descriptions, are enticing to job seekers.

Employees don’t just want to come to work, put in eight hours, and go home with a check. They want career advancement opportunities, they want a strong and healthy company culture where everyone is valued and appreciated for their contributions and their differences. If you haven’t done so lately, it’s time to review your job descriptions and make sure they don’t accidentally include limiting language that could dissuade some strong candidates from applying — for example, make sure the job description does not include gendered language, or restricts applicants over or below a certain age, etc. Does your website reflect the diversity of your team? If it appears homogenized, but your company isn’t, it’s time for a refresh. How active is your social media team? People aren’t just looking on job boards for open positions anymore; they’re checking out your social media profiles to see how your company operates in the digital space. A website and social media profiles that look outdated and haven’t been updated in years will be passed over for ones that appear fresh and active.

Salaries are an important recruiting tool.

Before you start to hire new employees, know what your competition is paying. Job candidates are doing their research to find out who’s paying more, and/or who’s offering better benefits, before they agree to take a new job. It’s in your company’s best interest to understand what’s out there, who’s paying how much for what skills and working hard to match or exceed the offer. If you can provide new employees something your competition can’t, like flexible working hours, no out-of-pocket cost health insurance, on-site daycare, etc, it’s time to shout that from the rooftops. Also, if you’re not posting salary information with every open position, candidates will keep looking. There’s increasing frustration toward companies that don’t provide salary data, at least a range of pay, if someone makes it deep into the interview process only to find the pay is less than what they’re making now.

Embrace the future with AI.

Work smarter, not harder, is a trending mantra that doesn’t just apply to employees. By incorporating artificial intelligence into your hiring process, you will be able to sort resumes faster, without any perceived or unconscious bias that your company might utilize when reviewing applications. AI applications can review resumes and applications for keywords that match the most important experiences, skills and attributes you want in a new employee, simply by providing that information to the program. It will flag the resumes that best fit your needs and can even handle the time-consuming task of sending brief “thanks but no thanks” emails to candidates who fall just short. AI can do more than that: It can provide skills assessments for potential job candidates, answer questions via a chatbot for applicants, and help schedule interviews for those candidates who qualify for a closer look. But if you’re hesitant to turn your whole recruitment process over to AI, many companies say they prefer pairing AI with humans, in the form of recruiters (like us at Bishop & Company!). By working with a recruiter to analyze and confirm the selections made by the program, companies are getting the best of both worlds: the speed and detached judgment of technology with the personal touch of someone to talk with your candidates and get a sense of whether they’re a good fit.

Are you Looking for a Staffing Partner in Hawaii?

Whatever changes will come in 2025, you don’t have to figure it out alone. By partnering with Bishop & Company, you’ll have a supportive team of expert recruiters who can help you change your approaches to recruitment, adapt new tools to help speed your process and we can even bring you candidates from our database who are ready to get to work right away. When you’re ready to learn more, contact Bishop & Company!