Iowa’s economy is heating up, much like the weather, according to Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. In the just-completed survey of business leaders and supply managers in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states, Goss says the Iowa numbers were up in February from January and point to continued growth in the months ahead.
Goss says some of the growth appears to be weather-related as some companies with strong connections to the ethanol industry are seeing a solid pick-up in growth as spring approaches. Goss says Creighton’s monthly survey also shows the employment picture is brightening for Iowa.
Goss says job prospects look good even in the construction industry, which is said to be cooling nationwide but it’s doing reasonably well in Iowa. He also sees good growth in durable and non-durable goods and in the state’s health care industry. Goss says the survey finds Mother Nature carries a deep influence on the some areas of the Iowa economy.
He says several survey respondents indicated the weather is having a positive impact on growth, as they’d expected a long, cold winter with much higher energy prices which would have hurt businesses. Now with the warmer weather, Goss says energy costs are coming down, helping businesses to thrive.