CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – New data from Iowa Workforce Development show unemployment is up in Iowa compared to last year.
In March of 2024, almost 47,000 Iowans were out of a job but looking for work. The employment rate then was 2.7%.
Since then, it’s grown to 3.4%.
As of last month, almost 59,000 Iowans were unemployed and looking for work. And the number of people receiving unemployment benefits has gone up, too; About 21,000 in March of 2024 to 27,000 this March.
The number of jobs has gone down, too. Since March 2024, the state’s lost almost 12,000 jobs. The industries that saw the biggest losses were manufacturing, construction, and professional and business services.
Though, Iowa’s labor participation rate, which is the number of people wanting to work and looking for jobs, has held steady at 67%.
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