Moving to Hawaii?? (Honolulu: health insurance, job market, living)

[lecj82]

My wife and I are looking into moving to Hawaii, I am a Systems Analyst and she is a teacher. Are there any better places to move for jobs? Is commuting from island to island for work easy and time efficent? How is the job market? Any and all help would be much appreciated!

[jmlowman]

On a more serious note - I'm in IT in soCal and I would guess that being a Systems Analyst (one of my many titles) would limit you to working in Honolulu, where the banks and government offices are located.

I can't really speak to the employment market for IT, but if you search the archives you will probably find numerous comments about teaching in Hawaii.

[hotzcatz]

Guess you haven't visited Hawaii, before, huh?

The only method of going from island to island is by air, private yacht or paddling canoe. There is/was a ferry between Maui/Lanai/Molokai, but I don't know if it is still operating or what it's schedule is. The ferry which used to go between Oahu and Maui is gone now. I think the ferry which used to go between Ewa and Honolulu on Oahu is gone, too.

The teaching system is statewide so check the Hawaii Department of Education's website for details on that.

The primary economic engine of the State of Hawaii is tourism. That is down by over thirty percent on Oahu and over fifty percent on all the other islands. Our jobless numbers aren't as high as many other places since frequently when folks lose their jobs, they go to the mainland and file for unemployment there. Because of the high cost of living, folks have multiple jobs so when they lose one, technically they aren't unemployed, just underemployed. Also we have a state mandated law requiring employers to offer health insurance for folks working more than twenty hours a week so there are loads of part time jobs available which are just under twenty hours a week. So, our unemployment numbers may not be as high as other places, but that doesn't mean there are jobs available which will pay enough you could afford to live the way you'd prefer.

There is also a huge bias towards hiring local folks over imported folks, so IMHO you could apply for any jobs you find but more than likely there won't be much response.

As far as better places for jobs, aren't there some states with really low unemployment?