Iowa Economic Development Agency Shifts Focus Toward Talent Recruitment

Iowa’s top economic development official says the state is putting a bigger emphasis on attracting people — not just businesses.

Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority since 2011, says improving Iowa’s tax and regulatory climate has guided much of her work. But she says the next phase of economic development is also about building communities where people want to live — with housing, quality of life projects, and amenities like trails and other recreation.

Durham says the state is actively marketing Iowa to young professionals in their 20s, 30s and 40s through the website ThisIsIowa.com. The site includes a cost-of-living calculator and stories from people who’ve relocated to Iowa.

Durham says the effort is already generating interest. Over the past year, about 3,300 people considering a move responded through the website. Those leads are being passed along to Iowa cities and communities that match what they’re looking for.

The goal is to help address workforce shortages. Durham says Iowa’s labor force participation rate hasn’t fully recovered since the pandemic, even though it was above 70 percent in early 2020. She says retirements have played a major role — and she’s concerned the state isn’t ready for the larger wave of Baby Boomers leaving the workforce.

Durham also points to young men ages 24 to 35 as a group that hasn’t returned to the workforce at the same levels, and she says Iowa needs more people entering — and staying in — the labor market.

Durham says her agency will roll out new talent recruitment efforts in 2026, with a focus on high-need areas like health care.