(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa’s unemployment rate is up a little.
Beth Townsend, Director Iowa Workforce Development, said, “It’s increased slightly, so it’s up to 3.4 percent in March.”
She said more people are working, even while more are looking for work. “We’re a little bit over 14,000 more people in the workforce than we had a year ago at the same time, so that’s a good sign.”
Townsend says the biggest losses are in temp jobs and professional, science, and technical services. “We have seen a tightening in the job market, and so many of the employers that might contract with a temp agency maybe no longer have those needs or they have sufficient staff already on hand.”
Townsend says the biggest job growth is in private industries, construction, healthcare, and social assistance.
