{"schema_version": 1, "id": "honolulu-hi-msa/finance/2026-09", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 230, "label": "Honolulu, HI MSA", "slug": "honolulu-hi-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "finance", "slug": "finance", "label": "Finance"}, "period": "2026-09", "public_after": "2026-09-01", "frozen_at": "2026-10-09T13:27:43.149503+00:00", "headline": "Honolulu finance pay splits: FP&A climbs, Controller pay cools.", "headline_summary": "Honolulu's unemployment rate fell to 2.5% even as the state's finance and insurance sector faces a forecast 1.3% job contraction, with FP&A Manager advertised pay up significantly to $129,808 while Controller pay slipped to $103,706.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Honolulu unemployment rate", "value": "2.5%", "context": "Down from 2.7% in August 2026"}, {"label": "Hawaii finance/insurance job forecast", "value": "-1.3%", "context": "~200 jobs, driven by AI and digital banking"}, {"label": "National financial activities job losses", "value": "-129,000", "context": "Since May 2025, per BLS payrolls"}, {"label": "National wage growth deceleration", "value": "3.0% y/y", "context": "Below 3.2% forecast, September 2026"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Controller pay is softening while FP&A Manager pay accelerates.", "body": "Metro Controller advertised pay sits at $103,706, down from national $113,754 and moving opposite the $129,808 FP&A Manager figure, which is up significantly both locally and nationally. This divergence is consistent with employers prioritizing forward planning and analytics capacity over traditional financial control functions."}, {"headline": "Tax Specialist pay surge outpaces national trend by a wide margin.", "body": "Metro Tax Specialist advertised pay of $80,364 beats the $65,842 national median, both rising significantly, which may reflect Hawaii's complex multi-entity and nonprofit tax environment combined with a documented CPA and accountant shortage noted in national F&A hiring data. Organizations recruiting for tax roles locally should expect to compete above national benchmarks."}, {"headline": "Finance sector contraction masks selective talent scarcity.", "body": "Hawaii's finance and insurance sector is forecast to shed roughly 200 jobs in 2026 from automation and digital banking consolidation, yet national F&A leaders report 74% plan to raise permanent headcount and a 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77%. Headcount reductions at the sector level do not guarantee easier hiring for specialized finance talent in Honolulu."}, {"headline": "Construction's wage base props up adjacent finance demand.", "body": "Construction payrolls grew 3.3% year-over-year even as private building permits fell 34%, a gap that suggests existing projects are sustaining finance and accounting support roles tied to construction clients despite a slowing pipeline. Watch whether this support demand fades as current projects complete without new permits to replace them."}], "local_conditions": "Honolulu's unemployment rate fell to 2.5% in September from 2.7% in August, yet the metro's 0.2% projected 2026 job growth reflects Hawaii's structurally low labor force participation rather than hiring strength, and finance and insurance payrolls statewide are forecast to contract 1.3% as digital banking consolidation and AI tool adoption displace roles. Construction's 3.3% year-over-year payroll gain is sustaining demand for project accounting and finance support even as private building permits have dropped 34%, creating a bifurcated local market where talent is scarce but headcount growth is selective.", "implications": "Local finance and insurance contraction alongside national financial-activities job losses (-129,000 since May 2025) means Honolulu Finance leaders face a labor market where candidate volume is more available than the 2.5% unemployment rate suggests, particularly for roles touched by automation. FP&A and tax specialist advertised pay are climbing locally even as Controller pay has softened, signaling employers are concentrating scarce compensation dollars on forward-looking analytical roles rather than traditional oversight functions. Consider reviewing headcount plans to distinguish roles facing automation displacement from those where Honolulu's tight-but-shrinking finance labor pool justifies holding or raising advertised pay.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Hawaii's unemployment rate has risen five times since January's 2.2% low despite September's dip to 2.5%; a sustained reversal would ease hiring pressure for Controller and Billing Specialist roles where metro pay has already softened."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Finance and insurance sector job losses tied to AI and digital banking consolidation are projected at 1.3% for 2026; Finance leaders should monitor whether automation-displaced talent enters the local candidate pool for analytical and tax roles."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Private building permits down 34% year-to-date signal a construction slowdown that has not yet hit payrolls; a lag effect could compress demand for project-based finance and accounting support in coming quarters."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "National average hourly earnings growth decelerated to 3.0% year-over-year in September, below forecast; if this cooling reaches Honolulu's finance labor market, it could ease pressure on Tax Specialist and FP&A compensation lines currently running hot locally."}], "roles": [{"role": "Controller", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 70672.5, "metro_p50": 103706.2, "metro_p75": 119479.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 113754.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Senior Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 75546.0, "metro_p50": 84581.8, "metro_p75": 91773.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 87731.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 77405.5, "metro_p50": 96039.0, "metro_p75": 103113.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94782.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Billing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 40268.75, "metro_p50": 45086.6, "metro_p75": 47400.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 49512.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Tax Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55000.0, "metro_p50": 80364.0, "metro_p75": 92802.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 65842.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Credit Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 48880.0, "metro_p50": 59115.4, "metro_p75": 67600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71758.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "FP&A Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 97920.75, "metro_p50": 129808.0, "metro_p75": 160539.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 128139.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "October 2026", "files": {"html": "honolulu-hi-msa/finance/2026-09.html", "pdf": "honolulu-hi-msa/finance/2026-09.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-10-09T13:51:26.409034+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/honolulu-hi-msa/finance/2026-09.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/honolulu-hi-msa/finance/2026-09.pdf"}