Iowa’s unemployment rate ticked higher by a tenth of a point last month to 2.7 percent, according to data released today (Thursday) by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD). The slight increase comes despite the national unemployment rate dropping from 3.7 percent in August to 3.5 percent in September. Iowa’s overall labor participation rate held steady at 67.7 percent, but the number of unemployed Iowans receiving unemployment benefits climbed from 44,700 to 46,500. IWD Director Beth Townsend says, “September’s survey illustrates several areas that will require close observation in the months ahead as Iowa’s employers continue to battle record inflation and uncertainty in our economic environment.” According to her, the state’s manufacturing sector remains strong, but nearly all other categories shed jobs in September. IWD is scheduled to release county-by-county data early next week.