What education levels are typically required for projected below-living-wage job openings across Hawaiʻi?
Workforce Understory Episode: Season 1, Episode 1 — The Geography of Opportunity
Geography: Statewide
Topic: Living-wage opportunity and education requirements
The takeaway
Statewide, 54% of projected job openings below the living-wage threshold require no formal education, while another 33% require only a high school diploma.
Together, nearly nine in ten projected below-living-wage openings are accessible without a postsecondary credential.
The jobs with the fewest formal barriers to entry are also overwhelmingly concentrated below the living-wage threshold.
What this visualization shows
This visualization examines the education typically required for projected job openings that pay below Hawaiʻi’s living-wage threshold.
The pattern is striking. More than half of these openings require no formal education, and one-third require only a high school diploma. By comparison, very few below-living-wage openings typically require an associate, bachelor’s, or graduate degree.
This means that workers without postsecondary credentials may have access to many jobs, but far fewer opportunities that provide economic security.
The visualization therefore reveals an important distinction between access to employment and access to mobility. A job may be relatively easy to enter while still failing to provide enough income for someone to live independently, support a family, or build a stable future in Hawaiʻi.
Viewed alongside the education profile of living-wage openings, the evidence suggests that the workforce challenge is not simply whether people can find work.
It is whether the opportunities available to them provide a realistic path toward advancement.
Why this matters
Low-barrier jobs play an essential role in Hawaiʻi’s economy. They often provide a first connection to the workforce, an opportunity to build experience, or a source of income for people who cannot easily access additional education or training.
But when those jobs consistently pay below the cost of living, entering the workforce does not necessarily lead to economic mobility.
Workers without postsecondary credentials may face a difficult choice. They can accept readily available work that does not provide enough income, pursue additional education that may be costly or difficult to access, or attempt to advance through experience and workplace learning without a clearly defined pathway.
These barriers may be especially significant in communities where postsecondary programs, transportation, childcare, and employer-based training are less readily available.
The evidence invites Hawaiʻi to ask a more practical question:
How can workers enter the workforce through accessible jobs and continue advancing toward a living wage without requiring a four-year degree?
Evidence:
Questions this visualization helps answer
What share of below-living-wage openings requires no formal education?
How many below-living-wage openings are accessible with only a high school diploma?
How does the education profile of below-living-wage work compare with that of living-wage work?
Are jobs with fewer formal education requirements more likely to pay below the living-wage threshold?
Does access to employment translate into access to economic security?
Curiosity:
Questions this visualization raises
What does the concentration of low-barrier, low-wage work mean for people without postsecondary credentials?
Which living-wage careers remain accessible without a bachelor’s degree?
Can apprenticeships, industry credentials, employer-based training, or on-the-job learning help workers bridge the gap?
Which below-living-wage occupations offer realistic opportunities for advancement?
How often do workers move from entry-level jobs into higher-paying positions within the same industry?
What prevents employers from raising wages or improving job quality in these occupations?
How do these education and wage patterns differ across counties?
Do workers on the Neighbor Islands face additional barriers to accessing postsecondary education and training?
What supports would make continued education and advancement more accessible to working adults?
How can Hawaiʻi strengthen pathways that begin with accessible employment but lead toward long-term economic mobility?
Youth Perspective
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