Iowa Workforce Development has released data on unemployment rates for April 2019, with 97 of the state’s 99 counties posting a decrease when compared to a year ago. Carroll County led the way with the lowest rate in the region at 1.5 percent, a 0.3-percent drop from 2018. Audubon County saw the largest reduction in unemployment, dropping nearly a whole point to 1.9 percent from 2.8 percent. Amber Casebeer, an advisor at Iowa Workforce Development in Carroll, says low unemployment is generally a good thing, but it is putting companies that are looking to hire in a difficult position.
On the other hand, Casebeer says people who are looking to enter the job market or are considering a career change could not ask for a better environment.
Casebeer notes having such a low unemployment rate can be somewhat of a double-edged sword.
She adds it can lead to a slow-growing or even stagnant economy. Greene and Calhoun Counties saw a 2.2-percent unemployment rate. Sac, Crawford and Guthrie Counties posted two percent, 2.9 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. Iowa’s statewide unemployment rate was at 2.4 percent for April, well below the national average of 3.6 percent.
