Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: HI NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — October 2026
Hawaii's non-metro counties diverge sharply on labor supply and pay.
Kauai's jobless rate spiked to 5.1% after Hurricane Lowell while FP&A Manager pay climbed to $136,947 locally, underscoring how uneven conditions have become across Hawaii's non-metro counties.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Kauai unemployment spike: 5.1% — Up from 2.5% in August after Hurricane Lowell
- Statewide labor force vs. employment growth: 1.1% vs 0.4% — Year-over-year, signals loosening supply-demand balance
- FP&A Manager advertised pay: $136,947 — Up significantly, vs $130,000 national median
- Government contract spending change: -25.4% — Year-over-year, first half 2026
Key takeaways
Labor supply is loosening, but unevenly across islands.
Statewide labor force growth of 1.1% outpaced employment growth of 0.4% year-over-year, yet Hawaii County's unemployment climbed to 3.5% while Kauai's spiked to 5.1% after Hurricane Lowell. Finance leaders sourcing talent across islands should expect meaningfully different candidate availability by county, not a uniform statewide easing.
FP&A Manager pay signals finance is still a priority hire.
Metro median advertised pay for FP&A Manager sits at $136,947, up significantly and ahead of the $130,000 national median. Continued upward movement despite softening broader labor conditions points to sustained employer demand for forecasting and planning expertise, even as other roles cool.
Controller and Financial Analyst pay are climbing faster locally than nationally.
Controller advertised pay rose to a metro median of $109,912 and Financial Analyst to $92,201, both tagged significant local increases versus moderate or stable national movement. Local wage pressure in these roles may outpace national benchmarking assumptions used in 2027 budget planning.
Billing Specialist pay softness may reflect contracting retail and hospitality demand.
Metro median advertised pay for Billing Specialist fell significantly to $45,625 against a stable $49,000 national figure, consistent with WARN activity concentrated in food, hospitality and retail (993 and 640 affected workers respectively). Finance teams relying on this role for transactional back-office work may find a softer, more price-sensitive labor pool near-term.
Median advertised pay by role — HI NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $89,414 | $109,912 | $122,113 | Significant increase | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant | $76,238 | $87,500 | $88,878 | Moderate increase | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $79,730 | $92,201 | $103,066 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $40,807 | $45,625 | $52,000 | Significant decline | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $37,440 | $46,155 | $71,000 | Stable | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $49,920 | $56,959 | $65,046 | Stable | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $99,256 | $136,947 | $159,814 | Significant increase | $130,000 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Hawaii's non-metropolitan counties show labor supply outpacing job creation — statewide labor force grew 1.1% year-over-year against just 0.4% employment growth — while Hurricane Lowell pushed Kauai County unemployment to 5.1% in September from 2.5% in August, a shock still working through the local labor pool. Across Hawaii, Maui and Kauai counties, wage levels diverge sharply (Maui+Kalawao averaging $1,250 weekly versus Hawaii County's $1,190), reflecting uneven industry mix and tourism exposure as government contract spending fell 25.4% year-over-year in H1 2026.
What it means
Rising statewide unemployment alongside continued Financial Activities job gains (+200 in September) suggests finance talent in these non-metro counties may become marginally easier to source even as broader labor supply loosens, a rare easing signal inside an otherwise tight Hawaii labor market. Disaster-driven volatility in Kauai, combined with Hawaii County's structurally lower wages, complicates standardized pay bands for finance roles spanning multiple islands and warrants scrutiny of how close-cycle staffing and contractor use are allocated across counties. Consider reviewing county-level pay differentials for finance roles before 2027 budget cycles lock in assumptions built on statewide averages that mask island-level divergence.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Kauai's unemployment spike from Hurricane Lowell is a one-month shock; watch whether the November data (once federal shutdown delays clear) shows recovery or a lingering drag on labor force participation that affects hiring timelines for island-based finance support roles.
Emerging pressure point: Government contract spending fell 25.4% year-over-year in H1 2026, a trend worth tracking for any finance organizations supporting public-sector-adjacent revenue, since further contraction could compress headcount budgets tied to that work.
Worth watching: December 2 brings the first official BLS metro-level employment data covering October, which will clarify whether non-metro county unemployment trends (Hawaii County 3.5%, Maui 3.1%) are stabilizing or continuing to climb into year-end as analysts expect.
Potential inflection point: Scheduled TDI maximum benefit increases and the January 2028 minimum wage step to $18/hour are distant but compounding; finance teams building multi-year headcount cost models should begin stress-testing wage compression scenarios for lower-band roles like Billing Specialist and Tax Specialist now.
Sources
- The Garden Island — Kauai County unemployment rose to 5.1% from 2.5% after Hurricane Lowell
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / Hawaii Dept. of Labor — Statewide labor force grew 1.1% while employment grew 0.4% year-over-year
- Hawaii DBEDT Quarterly Statistical & Economic Report — Government contract spending fell 25.4% year-over-year in H1 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Financial Activities sector gained 200 jobs month-over-month in September
- Hawaii DBEDT Quarterly Statistical & Economic Report — Hawaii County and Maui+Kalawao average weekly wage figures for Q1 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — October 2026 metro-level BLS employment data scheduled for December 2, 2026
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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