Iowa Unemployment rates saw a slight decrease in February’s report, sitting at 2.9%. This is a decrease of .1 points from January 2024, but is the same rate reported a year ago. Iowa reported a job growth across the state with multiple industries, but the labor force participation decreases to 67.2%, as a large number of young Iowans are pursuing education opportunities instead of the workforce. Iowa still remains below the U.S unemployment rate of 3.9%. In February, a total of 50,200 individuals were unemployed in the State of Iowa, while the number of workers also decreased to 1,650,700, which is 3,000 less than January and 13,200 fewer people from a year ago. Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development Beth Townsend says “February was warmer than normal and the impact of that showed up in Iowa’s economy. Iowa businesses added jobs in nearly every major industry last month, from construction and manufacturing to health care and accommodation and food services. Opportunity abounds for anyone who wants to work. Iowa WORKS currently has more than 60,000 open jobs postings and a career advisor will be happy to help you get started.” Local unemployment numbers for February are expected to be released next week.
