The unemployment rate in Iowa was unchanged from 2.7 percent in June, according to the report released today (Thursday) by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD). While the unemployment rate was unchanged, the state did see positive movement in the labor force participation rate, which climbed to 68.7 percent from 68.5 percent last month. The total number of working Iowans increased by 4,800 to 1.69 million, but 46,300 Iowans remained unemployed, unchanged from the prior month. IWD Director Beth Townsend says, “For the fourth straight month, we’ve seen an increase in the labor force participation rate, which is exactly what we want to see. Nearly all Iowans who entered the labor force in June did so by finding a job – that’s encouraging news for job seekers and the health of the state economy as a whole. It remains a great time to return to the workforce and find that next great job. Iowa Workforce Development has lots of tools, resources, and connections to help, and a great place to start is IowaWORKS.gov.” Statewide job growth was limited; the economy saw a net job gain of only 400 jobs last month. Losses in the construction and goods-producing sectors offset job gains in leisure, hospitality, education, and healthcare. The federal unemployment rate for June dropped by 0.1 points to 3.6 percent. IWD expects county-by-county figures to be released early next week.
