The Hawaii Employers Council, in partnership with various employer associations nationwide, has released the highlights of the 2025-2026 National Business Trends Survey. The Hawaii Report offers a snapshot of what’s top of mind for Hawaii employers heading into 2026. The survey gathered input from 916 organizations nationwide, including 73 Hawaii executives, giving local employers a useful benchmark for planning and decision-making.
Key takeaways for Hawaii
- Outlook is more cautious than last year. Only 12.3% of Hawaii executives expect the economy to improve in 2026 (down from 33.3% in 2024). Expectations for increased sales/revenue or budgets also dipped to 50.7% (down from 64.1% in 2025).
- Cybersecurity is the top business concern. More than half of executives ranked it as a serious short-term challenge (54.3%) and an even bigger long-term concern (56.3%). Political uncertainty and talent acquisition and retention remain close behind.
- Hiring is still hard, and pay pressure is real. 52.8% say hiring has become more difficult, driven largely by a lack of qualified candidates (89.5%) and candidates seeking higher pay (57.9%). Looking to 2026, many organizations plan compensation actions tied to wage pressure, including increased starting wages (54.8%) and updates to wage structures/pay ranges (41.1%).
- Workplace flexibility and AI are part of the conversation. Many employers report limited remote work, while hybrid schedules are more common where roles allow, often with 2–3 in-office days per week. Employers are also exploring practical AI use cases, including content production, process improvement, and cybersecurity/fraud management.
Read the full Hawaii Report – Survey Summary Highlights (PDF) for detailed findings and planning insights.
Stay Informed
HEC conducts a variety of compensation and benefits surveys to provide data useful in developing and administering compensation and benefit plans, and personnel policies. Custom snapshots and comparison reports from our compensation surveys are available, along with customized, proprietary surveys conducted on your behalf. Our Survey & Compensation experts can also work with members on employee opinion surveys to identify gaps between being an employer of choice and being merely an employer. For more information, please contact Dawn Mitchell, Manager, Surveys & Compensation Services (dmitchell@hecouncil.org), Susan Amuro, Surveys & Research Analyst (samuro@hecouncil.org), or Kimberly Thepsenavong, Surveys & Research Specialist (kthepsenavong@hecouncil.org).