Hawaii Workers Earning More in 2005

As expected by local economists, personal incomes on the Islands rose sharply during the first quarter of 2005. The 6.9 percent increase was recently reported by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Strong showings within the construction, real estate and tourism sectors are largely responsible for the current economic upswing. Another factor was a 2.9 percent rise in jobs during this time frame.

During all of 2004, personal incomes increased only 3.4 percent. University of Hawaii economist Carl Bonham commented:

"The best part for us is we seem to be on track.

7:57:51 PM