FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Iosua, Hawaii State Director,  miosua@mkadvocacy.com
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

HONOLULU, July 31, 2025—From NFIB Hawaii State Director Michael Iosua on today’s release of the monthly Jobs Report from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), showing that 33% (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reporting job openings they could not fill in July, down three points from June and the lowest level since December 2020, though still well above the monthly historical average of 25%.

“Nice to see a slight drop in the percentage of unfilled job opening, however, the fact that one in three small businesses owners are still struggling with finding qualified employees is not good. The July 4 signing of the law making the 20% Small Business Deduction a permanent part of the tax code was welcomed news, because it will give Main Street entrepreneurs more time to make longer-term hiring and other business decision.”

NFIB’s Jobs Report is a national survey of NFIB-member small-business owners, not broken down by state. The typical NFIB member employs between one and nine people and reports gross sales of about $500,000 a year.

From NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg

“The challenge of finding qualified workers is easing overall but still remained significant for many small business owners in July. The easing labor market pressures are also reflected in fewer firms raising compensation.”

Highlights from the Latest NFIB Jobs Report

• Job openings were the highest in the construction, wholesale, and transportation industries, and the lowest in the finance and agriculture industries.
• A seasonally adjusted net 14% of owners plan to create new jobs in the next three months, up one point from June. This remains above the historical average of net 11%.
• Seasonally adjusted, a net 27% of small business owners reported raising compensation in July, down six points from June. A net 17% (seasonally adjusted) plan to raise compensation in the next three months, down two points from June.
• Labor costs reported as the single most important problem for business owners decreased one point from June to 9%.

Keep up with the latest Hawaii small-business news at www.nfib.com or by following NFIB Hawaii on X @NFIB_HI.

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For more than 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

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