Employer Tips: Why Hawaii Workforce is Your Essential, Free Partner for Local Hiring

Written By Ben Kiblinger

Hiring the right people—especially your essential team members—is the most critical and often the most expensive challenge your business faces. While commercial staffing agencies offer advantages like speed and access to specialized talent, the high placement fees (often 15% to 30% of a salary) can be prohibitive.

For Hawaiʻi businesses looking to find the best local talent, reduce risk, and save significant time and money, the most effective solution is right in your community: Hawaiʻi Workforce.

By partnering with Hawaiʻi Workforce and the American Job Center Hawaii, your business gains the key benefits of a top-tier recruiter—speed, quality, and risk reduction—all at no cost to you.

Here is a breakdown of why Hawaiʻi Workforce should be your first step for local recruiting:

1. Your Free, Dedicated Recruiter and Talent Pipeline

One of the greatest advantages of using any recruiting partner is faster hiring and access to talent. Hawaiʻi Workforce offers these benefits with a focus on our local community, eliminating the fees associated with traditional agencies.

  • Your Free Recruiter: Hawaiʻi Workforce identifies high-potential candidates for your business for free from daily interactions with job seekers. You gain the advantage of pre-screened talent without incurring any placement costs.

  • Instant Community Access: Quickly and easily post your vacancies to reach job seekers in our community and across the state, featured on both Hawai‘i Workforce and HireNet. You can also Search Candidate Resumes and profiles and Receive Direct Referrals from HireNet's virtual recruiter to ensure you get the best match.

  • Efficient Hiring Events: We host free hiring events that your business can join at no cost. This is a powerful way to meet multiple candidates in a single day, with the option to interview and hire right at the event, dramatically speeding up your time-to-fill.

2. Smart Hiring with Powerful Financial Incentives

The cost of a bad hire can be staggering. Hawaiʻi Workforce provides specialized programs that not only reduce your financial risk but also offer significant tax advantages and help you affordably build your team’s skills.

  • Affordably Train Your Next Star (OJT Contract): Need to hire for a role but the perfect candidate requires specialized skills? An On-the-Job Training (OJT) contract helps you afford to train the right person. The program (operated through Goodwill Industries of Hawaii) pays up to 50% of the trainee’s wages during the specified training period. In return, you agree to hire them permanently if they successfully complete the training, allowing you to hire and train workers to meet your specific business needs.

  • Reduce Federal Tax Liability (WOTC): The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) provides significant federal tax credit incentives for hiring individuals from target groups identified by the U.S. Department of Labor (e.g., qualified veterans, long-term unemployed, or certain welfare recipients). This program reduces your federal tax liability while providing meaningful careers for individuals facing employment barriers.

  • The Federal Bonding Safety Net: If you are considering hiring an "at-risk" job seeker who has difficulty securing jobs due to their past history (e.g., justice-involved individuals, recovering addicts), the Federal Bonding Program offers peace of mind. This service provides fidelity bonding insurance coverage for the first six months of employment at no cost to the employer, protecting you against potential loss due to employee theft and removing a major risk barrier.

3. A Strategic Partner for Stability and Growth

Hawaiʻi Workforce goes beyond simple candidate placement, offering strategic support that helps you make informed decisions and manage unexpected changes.

  • Access Industry Data: Stay ahead of the curve by accessing crucial Industry Data and labor market information—essential for strategic planning and competitive compensation.

  • Rapid Response Team: In the event of a business downturn, layoff, or closure, the Rapid Response Team can help you and your employees navigate the transition. We provide information and support to help your business and employees access assistance programs, manage impacts, and plan for the future.

Hawaiʻi Workforce is a full-service, community-focused recruitment partner operating at no cost to your business. To stop paying for recruiting and start finding the essential local talent you need with free support, financial incentives, and risk-mitigation tools, Contact the American Job Center Hawaiʻi today to learn more.

Ben Kiblinger