Why Is It Still So Hard To Reach Hawaii’s Unemployment Office? … The physical office is still closed and the agency is only two months into an 18-month technology overhaul.
Every day, Hawaii’s unemployment call center receives 25,000 calls from about 6,000 unique numbers. Of those, about 800 calls are actually answered.
More than a year into the pandemic, many Hawaii residents are still struggling with the state’s outdated unemployment insurance system. A frequent complaint from last year — that the phones are tied up at the unemployment office — remains true for many callers.
“In one day I called the call center 75 times and not once have I gotten through,” said Candace Pacheco, a 35-year-old Kalihi resident.
