Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism

Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corp. — State housing officials announced today that the Hawaii Fire Relief Housing Program has helped find more permanent housing for more than 500 Maui families who lost their homes due to the August wildfires.

DBEDT today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October was 2.9 percent, compared to 2.8 percent in September.

Small businesses are critical to the US economy. But data on small businesses is limited. Through the annual Small Business Credit Survey, the Federal Reserve Banks capture one-of-a-kind data on small businesses.

DBEDT and Mana Up today announced the launch of a Hawaii-themed pop-up retail shop featuring Hawaii products at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. — Dean Minakami was unanimously appointed by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation Board of Directors today to serve as HHFDC executive director.

According to preliminary statistics from DBEDT, both visitor arrivals and visitor spending decreased for the second consecutive month compared to 2022.

The 2024 Creative Lab Hawaii Music Immersive program is soon to open and Hawaii singer-songwriters seeking opportunities to license their works for global media and entertainment content are invited to apply.

DBEDT today announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for September was 2.8 percent, the same as in July and August.

Hawaii State Energy Office — The U.S. Department of Energy today announced two technology demonstration projects proposed by the Hawaii State Energy Office in partnership with Kauai Island Utility Cooperative will receive more than $17.9 million in funding.

Maui small businesses hit by this summer's wildfires are getting financial support to participate in this year's Hawaiian Airlines Made in Maui County Festival.