Hawai‘i’s unemployment rate has hit a seven-year high. The unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent in September with over 12,000 more jobless individuals than at the same time last year. According to the Hawai‘i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Maui County has seen a hike in unemployment each month, with a rate of 5.5 percent in September—up 3.7 percent from a year ago. Hawai‘i County expanded slightly in the jobless market to 6.7 percent during September as Honolulu’s unemployment rate was 4.2 percent. Overall though, the state of Hawai‘i’s unemployment stats fall well below the national average, which was over 6 percent in September.