Iowa Workforce Development (IWD has adjusted the state’s January employment figures. According to IWD, Iowa’s labor force participation rate rose to 67.0 percent in January, following annual revisions that added 31,000 people to the state’s workforce estimate. January’s workforce participation rate improved slightly to 67 percent from the revised December figure of 66.9 percent. Iowa’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.3 percent, while the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 4.0 percent. The total number of working Iowans increased by 2,700 to 1,664,100, with notable gains among women aged 45-54 and 20-24. Total unemployed Iowans rose slightly by 200 to 56,500. IWD Executive Director Beth Townsend says, “January’s report showed a large number of people entering Iowa’s labor force and immediately finding work. Despite recent layoffs in some industries, Iowa grew jobs in January, for the third month in a row, and absorbed more than 2,000 people who came back to the workforce in search of a new career. Growing labor force participation is a welcome improvement to see early in 2025; with more than 50,000 open jobs, we know employers need even more Iowans to return to the workforce.” Over the past year, the state’s nonfarm employment has grown by 4,200 jobs, with the government, education, and health services sectors leading the gains. Local unemployment figures for February are expected to be released near the end of this month.
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