Unemployment up slightly in Iowa despite rise in labor force participation rate
DES MOINES — Despite the state’s labor force participation rate rising in December, the state’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased.
Iowa Workforce Development says the labor force participation rate rose a tenth of a percentage point to 66.4% in December amid an influx of recent graduates entering the workforce, but the number of unemployed Iowans increase from 53,000 in November to 53,900 in December, bumping the unemployment rate up slightly from 3.1% to 3.2%.
IWD executive director Beth Townsend says employers added 4000 jobs during the month, with the increase in the labor force by college graduates who quickly decided to enter the workforce. She says with over 50,000 open jobs in the state, there’s still an abundance of opportunities for graduates and other Iowans looking for their next job.
Service industries fueled the hiring and were led by gains in trade and transportation along with healthcare and social assistance.
