Hawaii’s unemployment rate edged downward to 6.9 percent in April as the national rate increased.

The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported April’s seasonally adjusted rate declined from March’s 7.1 percent and remained below the national rate.
The state noted Hawaii’s rate fell while the national average rose to 8.9 percent last month from 8.5 percent in March.
Hawaii’s decline came as the number of unemployed shrank from March’s 45,500 to 44,400 last month. Hawaii’s jobless rate has been more than 6.5 percent for three months, a level that’s not been reached in more than 30 years.
The state also released nonseasonally adjusted unemployment showing the Neighbor Islands continue to experience more joblessness than Oahu. Unemployment fell on all islands except for Molokai and Lanai.
Honolulu’s rate of 5.7 percent came in lower than the 5.8 percent in March.
Hawaii County slipped to 9.7 percent from 10.1 percent.
Maui island was down to 8.5 percent from 8.9 percent.
Kauai’s unemployment went from a double digit percentage of 10.3 percent, or the highest among all the major islands, to 9.7 percent.
Molokai rose to 14.1 percent from 12.4 percent. Lanai was unchanged from a month earlier at 8.7 percent.