Pay difference should narrow to keep jobs

For a long as the differential remains between Hawai`i and Mainland salaries for highly-skilled employees, our state will experience a "brain drain."

Although the entry-level positions post nearly equal salaries, the difference widens significantly as skills increase, a federal study has found. This makes the prospect of moving to the Mainland more lucrative as time passes after graduation.

Particularly in the technical and professional fields, like systems analyses and accounting and accounting, one may find that Hawai`i simply does not pay enough to merit staying here.

To change this, Hawai`i must attract a larger pool of labor providers, such as corporate headquarters, through deals that make business easier for companies. One way to do this would be to lower the corporate tax rate on high-tech service and multinational enterprises.

We must also emphasize the important of continued education. Community colleges should advertise essential job skills classes more, and provide lower tuition rates on such courses.

Until we can establish a vision for our state's economy, our tourism-based economy will remain an embarrassment when compared to our potential.