(Des Moines) Iowa’s labor force participation rate increased to 66.4 percent in December, with the unemployment rate rising to 3.2 percent.
The U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 4.1 percent. Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development, noted that hiring across various sectors added 4,000 jobs in December, largely driven by recent college graduates.
There are over 50,000 open jobs in Iowa. The number of unemployed Iowans rose to 53,900 in December, while total nonfarm employment reached 1,606,200, marking a 7,400 job increase over the year.
Key sectors that saw job gains included construction (800 jobs), accommodations and food services (600 jobs), and health care and social assistance (500 jobs). However, manufacturing lost 800 jobs, leading to a total decline of 7,700 jobs in that sector over the past year.
