As jobs move online and companies consider keeping some of their work off even after the coronavirus pandemic, Hawaii seizes the prospect of an economy where you can work anywhere to cushion the ongoing loss of jobs in tourism.
The state’s Department of Economics, Economic Development and Tourism is developing a number of initiatives to connect unemployed Hawaiian residents to remote jobs and encourage the increased flexibility of remote work to enable Kamaaina resident elsewhere to return home .
It is hoped that these efforts can slow the steady exodus of residents to the mainland in search of career opportunities.
DBEDT is also supporting Movers & Shakas, a pilot project launched last week by a group of local business and community leaders to encourage remote mainland workers to choose Hawaii as the location to work from home.
Movers & Shakas aims to build a cohort of 50 digital nomads who commit to working from Hawaii for at least six months. Attendees receive free round-trip airfare to Honolulu, discounts on accommodation at five Waikiki resorts, and access to curated recreational and cultural activities.
“It can lead to a new version of tourism,” said Scott Murakami, economic development coordinator at DBEDT.
A rush of new residents with steady paychecks and flexibility in remote working could help the local economy recover, reverse the brain drain, and make up for some of the devastating losses to the state’s tax base.
However, DBEDT’s primary interest in the program is prospecting participants for data.
How difficult is it to move from the mainland to Hawaii? What is forcing remote workers to move to Hawaii – and what is causing them to leave or stay?
What industries do you work in? Where are your employers located? What are their skills?
These were the questions asked when DBEDT put in nearly $ 100,000 in government funding to interview Movers & Shakas attendees. The responses could help support the department’s greater efforts to attract more remote working opportunities for current and former Hawaiian residents – a goal accelerated by the pandemic.
Prior to COVID-19, Hawaii had around 38,000 remote workers, according to DBEDT director Mike McCartney.
“I think it’s reasonable to try and double that number by next year with a healthy mix of Hawaiian residents and new residents who can create an innovative economy for the future,” he said.
“Jobs will shift”
Movers & Shakas is designed to introduce newcomers to Hawaiian society and culture, but it will also consider Kamaaina applicants who are employed elsewhere but want to return home.
The ideal candidate is someone who has a proven willingness to give back to their community, said Jason Higa, chief executive officer of FCH Enterprises, the parent company of Zippy’s Restaurants and a co-founder of the program.
The program requires that participants make their unique professional skills available to a local nonprofit organization. The idea is to build committed, conscientious new community members through participation.
“We’re really trying to create a connection between the cohorts and the Hawaiian community that we believe will help these cohorts better understand and truly experience Hawaii than if they just came here to see the weather or enjoy the beaches or the trails, ”said Higa.
In addition to DBEDT’s financial contribution, Movers & Shakas is funded by nearly a dozen companies and nonprofits – including Zippy’s Restaurants, Central Pacific Bank, Hawaii Executive Collaborative, Island Holdings Inc., and Inkinen Executive Search.
Higa said these groups have a common interest in figuring out how an influx of digital workers to Hawaii could be a boon to the economy.
If Hawaii can attract a ton of highly skilled new residents, Hub Coworking Hawaii co-founder George Yarbrough believes the entire state could benefit.
But he’s worried about a flood of new talent could inadvertently displace current Hawaiian residents.
The hub, which works with the Movers & Shakas program to connect attendees with coworking desks, has already seen a dramatic change in population since Established residents are pausing their membership due to viral fears, professional setbacks, or new household demands arising from distance learning and childcare interruptions.
Meanwhile, newcomers from the mainland are moving in and taking their places, Yarbrough said.
“It’s almost like we have a whole new community now,” said Yarbrough.
In January, The Hub, Box Jelly and WaiWai Collective coworking spaces in Honolulu will work together to launch a cultural immersion program for teleworkers who moved to Hawaii during the pandemic.
The aim is to welcome new residents and help them understand Hawaii’s unique geography, slang, dangers, history and values. There will be social and professional networking opportunities and voluntary activities such as B. Taro farming in wetlands.
McCartney said the state needs to strike a balance between recruiting new digital workers to move to Hawaii and finding current residents with online jobs.
“Jobs are going to move and I don’t want people to move because there isn’t enough direct employment for them,” McCartney said.
Coming soon: 2,000 remote jobs
Reversing Hawaii’s brain drain takes more than remote working flexibility and a welcome mat.
As the pandemic shifts jobs, schools and health services online, thousands of rural households and businesses are still lacking broadband access.
In November, the state released a plan to try to strengthen broadband infrastructure on the islands – a huge and costly undertaking that could take many years to implement.
Aside from the lack of well-paying jobs, the brain drain of educated, highly skilled Hawaiian residents to look elsewhere is being driven by the exorbitant cost of pretty much everything from gasoline and groceries to childcare and real estate.
“One of the challenges remote working cannot solve is the cost of living,” said Higa. “But if someone remotely works for a mainland employer and receives compensation that really allows them to support their family in Hawaii, could this be another opportunity?”
This is something that DBEDT is trying to evaluate.
As early as the end of December, the Ministry plans to start a new program in cooperation with the Personnel Development Council of the State Ministry of Labor, which will enable up to 2,000 unemployed residents to work remotely.
Matchmaking would take place at the county-run American job centers. The state has already signed a contract with a private online employment aggregator to facilitate job placement.
“I think it’s a way to export Hawaii’s knowledge by having people live here and contribute to the tax base but work for an employer that is based elsewhere,” said McCartney.
DEBDT has no target number for how many remote jobs it believes Hawaii can ultimately support, or how many jobs the state will not return immediately as the economy slowly recovers.
“Hawaii’s economy is changing”Series is supported by a grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation as part of his CHANGE Framework project.
