Iowa’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.8 percent in June, according to a report released today (Thursday) by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD). The state’s rate has been unchanged since April, but IWD Director Beth Townsend sees that as a positive, considering the national economic headwinds. She says, “Despite ongoing economic challenges, Iowa’s workforce held steady during June as private industries advanced by 1,500 jobs. Iowa’s economy has shown great resilience, and employers continue to hire. IowaWORKS.gov includes over 58,000 open jobs, and our team is ready to help Iowans find their next new opportunity.” In June, the civilian labor force decreased by 24,900 to 1.688 million, leading to a 0.2 percentage point decrease in the labor force participation rate to 66.5 percent. Iowans on unemployment also declined from 46,900 in May to 46,600 in June. Most of the job gains were seen in the health care, social assistance, and professional business services sectors but were offset by losses in government jobs related to schools going on summer break. Annual trends show Iowa’s transportation, warehousing, and retail sectors have been on the decline in terms of job growth. Iowa’s 2.8 percent unemployment rate stands well below the national figure, which increased 0.1 percentage points from May to June to 4.1 percent. The complete IWD June 2024 dataset is included with this story on our website. County-by-county figures are expected to be released early next week.
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