HONOLULU (KHON2) — The City and County of Honolulu has been named one of the best places to work in Hawaiʻi, earning a spot on Forbes’ 2025 Best-in-State Employers list for the seventh year in a row.
Honolulu ranked No. 1 for government services and No. 4 overall in the state.
Recognition of workplace excellence
The annual Forbes list, now in its seventh year. It highlights employers across the country that stand out for workplace culture, employee satisfaction and opportunities for growth.
“This recognition is a testament to the dedication and teamwork of our nearly 10,000 employees who show up every day committed to serving the people of Honolulu,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “We have worked hard to create a culture where our employees feel valued, supported, and united in a common mission — to deliver results that restore trust and confidence in City government.”
Hiring and retention progress
Since 2022, Honolulu has made major strides in hiring and keeping employees. The average hiring time dropped from 180 days to fewer than 97 days in 2025, with expedited hiring averaging 78 days.
City leaders said improvements are due to the following strategies:
- Stronger employee engagement,.
- Expanded professional development.
- Flexible work schedules.
- A competitive benefits package.
- New four-year collective bargaining agreements. Six of nine bargaining units have secured annual raises so far.
How the rankings are determined
Forbes partnered with research firm Statista to create the rankings. The process included surveys from more than 160,000 employees at companies with at least 500 workers.
Survey questions covered working conditions, pay, advancement opportunities and diversity. Employees also shared feedback on past employers and other organizations they knew.
The data was then scored, with greater weight placed on recent feedback and current employees within each state.
You can click here to read the full study and here for information on careers with the City and County of Honolulu.
This year’s list features 1,417 companies nationwide, producing 2,500 rankings across all states.