HAGÅTÑA, Guam (GDOL) — More residents are back on the job and taking home higher pay, signaling an incremental improvement in the local economy, according to the latest Current Employment Report from the Guam Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The December 2025 preliminary statistics show an increase of 750 jobs over the latest quarter, going from 67,690 to 68,440 persons employed. The greatest private-sector employment gains over the quarter were 440 in construction, which is no surprise, and 180 in hotels. The majority of the construction job increases were in H-2B workers.
As seen in the last quarter of 2025, rising tourism numbers led to increased hotel employment. Alongside this growth, average weekly hours worked rose, going from 33.5 to 36.2. The hotel industry’s average hourly rate also increased in the latest quarter from $11.96 to $12.26. On a weekly basis, hotel workers are earning about $43.63 more in the latest quarter.
“Guam’s job market was showing some positive movement, but we know it’s still a tough environment for many businesses,” said GDOL Director David Dell’Isola. “We’re seeing more residents back at work, some modest wage increases, and job gains. While our tourism industry remains below pre-pandemic levels, it’s encouraging to see some growth in the hotel sector. At the same time, we must brace for global uncertainty and the war in Iran that could create additional challenges for our economy and tourism.”
“In 2025, the private sector job count was up, but both the federal and the Government of Guam employment declined somewhat. Voluntary and involuntary federal agency downsizing resulted in a 4% reduction in federal employment on Guam, substantially lower than the 10.3% decline in the U.S. federal workforce. Federal grant program cuts resulted in the loss of some federally funded jobs in the local government, which declined 1.9 percent, less than previous estimates,” said Chief Economist Gary Hiles.
The Current Employment Report is available at bls.guam.gov
For more information, contact the Bureau of Labor Statistics at 671-475-7061 or visit bls.guam.gov
