Over the next decade, how many projected job openings in Hawaiʻi will pay a living wage?
Workforce Understory Episode: Season 1, Episode 1 — The Geography of Opportunity
Geography: Statewide
Topic: Living-wage opportunity and projected job growth
The takeaway
Of the 371,600 job openings projected in Hawaiʻi between 2022 and 2032, only 101,200 are expected to meet or exceed the MIT Living Wage threshold. Fewer than one-third of projected openings will provide a living wage.
What this visualization shows
Traditional workforce projections often emphasize the total number of jobs expected to become available. That measure tells us something important about the scale of future hiring, but it does not tell us whether those jobs will provide enough income for people to live and thrive in Hawaiʻi.
This visualization separates the projected openings that meet the living-wage threshold from those that do not. It reveals a significant difference between the quantity of employment opportunity and the quality of that opportunity.
Why this matters
Hawaiʻi is projected to generate hundreds of thousands of job openings over the coming decade. Yet most of those openings are not expected to provide a living wage for a single adult.
That creates an important challenge for young people entering the workforce, adults seeking greater economic stability, and communities trying to retain local talent. Preparing more people to enter the workforce will not be enough if the jobs available to them do not support long-term economic mobility.
This evidence invites communities to look beyond how many jobs are being created and ask a more meaningful question:
How many of those jobs create a realistic path toward economic security?
Evidence:
Questions this visualization helps answer
What share of Hawaiʻi’s projected employment opportunities will provide economic security?
Does projected job growth align with the needs of people entering the workforce?
How does the picture change when job quality is considered alongside job quantity?
Curiosity:
Questions this visualization raises
How will these projections change beyond 2032?
Which industries and occupations account for most living-wage openings?
What education, experience, or credentials are required to access those jobs?
How does access to living-wage opportunity vary across counties?
What will the large number of below-living-wage openings mean for new workforce entrants?
How can Hawaiʻi improve the quality of existing jobs while also connecting more people to higher-wage opportunities?
Youth Perspective
Contributor: Ben Tang
Role: Student Researcher, AE Consulting
Responding to: “Less than one-third of all openings will pay a living wage. What does this mean for new workforce entrants who will not have access to a living-wage job?”
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