Dark Clouds Are Looming Over Hawaii Even As The Economy Appears To Be Improving - Honolulu Civil Beat Dark Clouds Are Looming Over Hawaii Even As The Economy Appears To Be Improving Economic experts say many people are worse off than they were before the pandemic and a lower unemployment rate is simply masking deeper problems. Reading time: 8 minutes. Despite recovering from the worst economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, Hawaii faces major problems that existed before the pandemic and that are likely to worsen, experts on Hawaii’s economy and demographics say. Hawaii’s economy may be bouncing back.