Iowa’s unemployment rate goes up a tick

More Iowans were on the unemployment line last month — but not many more. The latest figures from the Iowa Workforce Development office show a slight upturn in the jobless rate, which is still among the lowest in the nation. Sha Khan is a labor market analyst at Workforce Development. Iowa’s unemployment rate moved up one-tenth of a point in May to two-point-three percent. That’s the second tenth-of-a-point increase in the state jobless rate in two months. Khan says it’s not yet known if Iowa will still have the nation’s lowest unemployment rate with this slight upturn. Iowa -did- have the nation’s low for April with two-point-two percent unemployed. The national unemployment rate for May was four-point-two percent, nearly two full points above Iowa’s rate.