According to Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), the state’s unemployment rate continued to drop from the highs seen during the pandemic, falling from 3.3 percent in March to 3.0 percent in April. An estimated 3,300 jobs were added throughout the state last month, primarily in the manufacturing, construction, and service industries. An estimated 50,900 Iowans were unemployed in April, down from 55,600 in March. The number of working Iowans climbed by nearly 10,000 to 1.646 million, with a labor participation rate of 67.2 percent. IWD Director, Beth Townsend, says, “Thousands of Iowans returned to the workforce in April and found promising new careers in manufacturing, construction, and other industries. Our economy continues to grow, our labor force continues to expand, and unemployed Iowans are finding amazing new career opportunities faster than ever, thanks to our pivot to focus on reemployment. The April numbers confirm once again that we’re on the right track.” The latest figures are 1.5 percentage points lower than April of 2021, and Iowa continues to outpace national figures, which came in at 3.6 percent. County-by-county statistics are anticipated to be released early next week.
