7 Exciting Remote Jobs in Hawaii

If you dream of sandy beaches and the perfect wave, Hawaii may be the place for you. With stunning scenery, great weather year-round, and tons of outdoor adventure, Hawaii is tops on many people’s lists of places they’d like to live. While the economy was hard hit by the pandemic, especially due to the lack of tourists, recovery is underway, with unemployment dropping over 4% in the last year to 6% in November 2021.

Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to living in paradise. Even at the best of times, it can be difficult to make ends meet in Hawaii. With almost everything imported, residents experience a high cost of living that is climbing even higher. Over the last 12 months in the Honolulu area, the consumer price index (CPI) increased 5.4% overall, with food prices increasing 6.5% and energy prices jumping 33.7% due mostly to increases in gas prices. Another drawback is the lack of good-paying jobs. Employees in Hawaii can expect to make an average of 7% less than their counterparts on the mainland.

One way to mitigate the downsides is to look for remote jobs in Hawaii. Nixing the commute saves on gas and leaves you more options to choose less expensive areas to live in. In addition, the time you save can also be spent on more important things such as growing your own fruit and vegetables to save on groceries! To help you find the best work from home jobs in Hawaii, below are seven of the top options based on availability and wages.

1. Information Technology

Although not a major employment category overall, information technology positions are still the most advertised work at home positions in Hawaii. Employment in this category is also growing at a healthy rate, increasing 7.7% between 2010 and 2019. Today, there are approximately 2,200 tech business establishments in Hawaii.

Information Technology Wages in Hawaii

Tech jobs are among the best-paid jobs in the state. The estimated median information technology wage in Hawaii is $78,536. This is 69% higher than the median wage for all occupations in the state. Coming in at 15 and 16 on a list of top-paying careers in Hawaii, computer and information systems managers earn an average of $120,130 and $119,020 for computer and information research scientists.   

Companies Hiring for Remote Information Technology Jobs in Hawaii:

ShakaCode, LLC

ShakaCode, LLC is a global information technology consulting company that specializes in designing, developing, integrating, and supporting mobile and web-based applications.

Kumu Inc.

Kumu Inc. is a software development company that provides a data visualization platform that helps users organize complex information into interactive relationship maps.

2. Education

If you are an instructor or an education administrator, there are many opportunities to find remote employment in Hawaii. Several factors are driving this demand. Perhaps the main driver is a severe teacher shortage in the K-12 public school system. With the highest turnover rate in the country, Hawaii loses many teachers due to the high cost of living. The shortage is especially severe for special education teachers. In addition, pre-school teacher is one of the fastest-growing occupations in Hawaii, experiencing 16% growth between 2008 and 2018.

There is also a high concentration of postsecondary career/technical education teachers in Hawaii. Finally, occupational growth for postsecondary instructors nationwide is strong, with 12%  projected from 2020 to 2030, 4% faster than the average for all occupations.

Education Wages in Hawaii

The average public school teacher salary in Hawaii is $63,464 in 2021, reflecting a $46 million salary adjustment in 2020 to reduce recidivism. Postsecondary teachers are much better paid, with three specialties making the top 20 best-paying jobs in Hawaii based on average annual wages:

Companies Hiring for Remote Education Jobs in Hawaii

Stride, Inc.

Stride, Inc. (formerly K12) is an online education company that hosts online schools in many states and provides educational products for parents who home-school their children.

Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Education, Inc. is a publishing company specializing in learning content and assessments.

Hawaii Pacific University

Hawaii Pacific University is a learning community with more than 5,000 students and both on-site and online learning programs.

3. Healthcare

Healthcare is a booming industry in Hawaii, and seven of the top 10 fastest-growing occupations are in the healthcare field, with growth rates that range from 19% to 50%. While there are plenty of remote jobs in the healthcare field available for residents of Hawaii, most will involve working for companies on the mainland. In addition, many are in the healthcare administration and finance fields. So, if you are interested in healthcare but don’t have the training or aptitude for patient care, remote healthcare support positions might be perfect.

Healthcare Wages in Hawaii

Pediatricians earn top dollar in Hawaii with an average annual wage of $172,000. This category is closely followed by medical and health services managers earning $124,850 per year, nurse practitioners who earn $124,260, and physician assistants at $115,120 round out remote-friendly healthcare occupations in Hawaii’s top 20 salaries.  

Companies Hiring for Remote Healthcare Jobs in Hawaii

Medix Staffing Solutions

Medix Staffing Solutions is a staffing agency focused on offering workforce solutions in the healthcare, scientific, and information technology industries.

Humana Inc.

Humana Inc. is a for-profit health insurance company that offers Medicare, Medicaid, health, dental, vision, and pharmaceutical policies.

Change Healthcare

Change Healthcare delivers revenue and payment cycle management, data and analytics, medical imaging, and contract optimization solutions for healthcare providers.

4. Sales

One way to slide easily into an online position from an on-site position is to move into sales. Sales positions are available across all industries and are frequently offered as remote positions. For example, if you currently work as a bookkeeper, consider selling professional accounting services. In this way, you can apply your industry knowledge and experience in your new remote role. One area of particular focus is the travel industry. Due to Hawaii’s reliance on tourism, there is a high concentration of travel agent positions. It is also possible to find entry-level remote jobs in Hawaii in the sales field.

Sales Wages in Hawaii

Wages for sales representatives vary somewhat depending on the industry, and sales managers cracked the top 100 best-paying jobs in Hawaii, ranking 69th. Below are a few examples of average annual wages in a variety of sales fields:

Companies Hiring for Sales Jobs in Hawaii

Truveris, Inc.

Truveris, Inc. specializes in prescription benefits management, offering a software-as-a-service platform that helps manage the rising costs and challenges of the prescription drug market.

Arrow Electronics, Inc.

Arrow Electronics, Inc. is an electronic components retailer selling lighting, power, electromechanical, and thermal management products.

5. Human Resources

Human resources positions are available across almost all industries. With the uptick in job openings in Hawaii, there is increased demand for human resources personnel to recruit and onboard new employees. In addition, employers are also realizing the importance of caring for the health and well-being of employees, and so benefits specialists and training specialists are also in greater demand.

Human Resources Wages in Hawaii

Human resources managers rank 34^th in the top-paying jobs in Hawaii with an average annual wage of $105,290. Average annual human resources wages for mid-level and entry-level remote jobs in Hawaii as of May 2020 include:

Companies Hiring for Human Resources Jobs in Hawaii

Proservice Hawaii

ProService Hawaii provides human resource outsourcing solutions for workers’ compensation, healthcare and benefits, and payroll processing.

Honu Services Inc.

Honu Services Inc. is a business services consultancy providing operational support services to small businesses, including human resources, payroll management, and recruiting.

6. Financial

While finance is not a major industry in Hawaii, the nature of many financial positions lends itself to an easy transition to the remote work environment. Large financial institutions and insurance companies advertise for many remote finance positions. The main drawback is the time difference when working for companies headquartered on the mainland.

Finance Wages in Hawaii

Ranking 29th on the list of top-paying jobs in Hawaii, financial managers can expect to make $108,900 per year. Wages in other positions vary, and there is a wide range of financial roles available, but overall, wages in the business and financial operations occupation average $73,060 in Hawaii as of May 2020.

Companies Hiring for Remote Finance Jobs in Hawaii

Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the oldest and most well-known financial groups in the U.S. and offers a range of financial services for individuals and businesses.

Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company

Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company is an insurance and financial services company that provides a variety of financial and banking services.

7. Customer Service

Customer service jobs are available across most industries, and remote positions are becoming more common due in part to the pandemic. Due to the variety of positions, this is another easy entry to remote work that can draw upon your specific industry knowledge and skills. This is also a good remote job if you’re looking for entry-level or part-time remote jobs in Hawaii.

Customer Service Wages in Hawaii

Wages for customer service positions will vary depending on the industry and the services provided, however, the average wage for customer service representatives in Hawaii as of May 2020 is $19.11 per hour and $39,740 annually.

Companies Hiring for Remote Customer Service Jobs in Hawaii

U-Haul International, Inc.

U-Haul International, Inc. is a moving equipment and storage rental company.

Fiserv, Inc.

Fiserv, Inc. is an information technology firm offering mobile and online banking services to banks, credit unions, investment firms, retailers, and government agencies.

Get Started Today!

Dropping unemployment and a recovering economy in Hawaii means companies in multiple industries looking for new hires. Increasing demand combined with companies implementing new remote work models is translating into a wide variety of work from home positions available. Save money and time by ditching the commute and finding a new remote position with the help of Virtual Vocations.

Are you moving to Hawaii? Which of these industries would you like to work in? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts and tips. We’d love to hear from you!