Interesting comments - I assume all the people making these comments are actual Hawaii residents.
Local News
That's not good. The frustration is palpable in those comments.
Every single comment saying basically the same thing - wages far too low and Hawaii far too expensive.
I think it's important to listen - none of the commenters seem unreasonable.
There are tons of travel contacts for HI in my biz, and it's always the same story - the pay sucks + COL too high - so if it's unaffordable for HCWs it's unaffordable for most.
"Mahalo for leaving" - ouch! - historically that attitude is never a good sign.
That sort of passive aggressiveness ALWAYS pops up when some people flee a bad economic situation, religious situation, or violence and political unrest while others stay. And sadly, the sort of flippancy almost always a sign that things are going to stay the same or just get worse.
The other factor here - let's be honest - is millenial and younger attitudes towards work, and entry-level work especially. Not all, but many.
If you're involved in any sort of hiring and 90-day process with candidates that are <35 y/o you see this all the time. Many think they're above entry-level work these days (you're always being told on instagram how "fire" your are, so DUH!) and the idea of policies like seniority are unacceptable to them.
Reason being - they don't plan to stick around anywhere and some industries are in a labor shortage so they can just go elsewhere (they don't end up satisfied there either and just move on again...). Of course the hiring company ends up losing big time due to hiring costs (which aren't going away).
Couple this with the fact living with your parents at age 30 is now becoming normal there's always the idea of that safety net. Fewer young people than ever really need to work, because all they need is Wifi and $10/day for food.
The hiring bonus is the new thing and it's being used liberally to keep people around - you stay we pay. One local hospital offering $20K for RNs. Heard about $20K for a surgical tech in HI (nuts!) but RN hiring bonuses not nearly that high - plenty of travelers to pull from...equals lower quality care for HI residents.
