Director of Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), Beth Townsend, says the newly released seasonal unemployment rates for Iowa at 3.1 percent for December (down from November’s 3.8 percent) and the 22,800 Iowans who have now found work are good signs for the state’s economic recovery. “November through February are typically the months IWD sees the most unemployment claims due to seasonal layoffs. The fact that so many people found jobs during this time is evidence that our economy remains strong and our recovery from the pandemic is on the right track,” Townsend says. “There are over 64,000 jobs posted at IowaWORKS.gov and I encourage everyone who can, to rejoin the workforce and take advantage of the great opportunities available in Iowa right now,” she adds. The report shows the number of unemployed Iowans declined to 50,800 in December from 60,800 in November. The current estimate is 137,200, down from the COVID-19 peak in April of 188,000 and only 1,500 higher than a year ago. The total number of Iowans working increased to 1,568,800 in December, 22,800 higher than November and 44,200 higher than April 2020.
