New 2025 Survey Reveals What 3,200 Hawaiʻi Workers Are Facing
Blogpost By: LorMona Meredith
Can We Stay in paradise? What Hawaiʻi’s 2025 Affordability Survey Signals for Our Workforce Future
Across Hawaiʻi, more local workers are asking a painful question: Can we afford to stay home?
Holomua Collective’s 2025 Affordability Survey offers a timely snapshot of what residents are facing—and the findings echo many of the same pressures identified in HWFC’s From Crisis to Opportunity report.
What Workers Are Experiencing Right Now
The survey highlights several urgent realities:
Even full-time workers are unsure they can remain in Hawaiʻi
Rising costs and financial stress are impacting every industry and island
Workers are considering relocation—not for opportunity, but survival
Residents want coordinated, long-term solutions rather than temporary relief
These insights mirror what we surfaced in our Crisis to Opportunity Report: that economic precarity is no longer isolated to unemployed or underserved groups— it is ALSO affecting working families across the state, reshaping decisions about housing, education, career pathways, and community stability.
Why This Matters for Workforce Development
The survey reinforces a key theme: Hawaiʻi cannot build a strong workforce if the people who make up that workforce cannot afford to live here.
Findings from the Holomua Collective Affordability Survey highlight the same systemic needs identified across Hawaiʻi’s workforce landscape:
Job quality, not just job quantity
Living-wage pathways that match real costs in Hawaiʻi
Accessible, culturally grounded training that leads to stability
Employer practices that support retention and worker well-being
Cross-sector alignment, rather than siloed programs
Affordability is not separate from workforce strategy—it is foundational. If local families must leave to survive, Hawaiʻi loses experience, cultural knowledge, and the next generation of workers before training even begins.
12/02/25 Featured Workforce Webinar with Holomua Collective
As part of the HWFC Workforce Webinar Series, we are excited to feature Holomua Collective for a deeper discussion on the survey findings and what comes next:
Can We Stay? The Realities Facing Hawaiʻi’s Workers — and the Path Forward
Tuesday, December 2 • 11:00 am HST
👉 REGISTER HERE
Presenters from Holomua Collective:
Josh Wisch, President & Executive Director
Matt Prellberg, Policy & Communications Director
Josh and Matt will unpack the data, share what workers are telling us about their lives, and highlight how cross-sector working groups are designing policies and programs aimed at making staying possible—not just aspirational.
