• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Business / Unemployment claims lower, but jobless number still higher than normal

Unemployment claims lower, but jobless number still higher than normal

January 5, 2010 By O. Kay Henderson

Iowa is following a national trend toward lower initial claims for unemployment benefits, but the number of unemployed Iowans is still much higher than it’s been during normal economic times. Joe Bervid of the Iowa Workforce Development agency says for the last four weeks of 2009, the number of Iowans making first-time unemployment claims fell below what it was the year before.

“While these figures are encouraging in terms of stabilizing and improving, clearly we are not anywhere near the number of claims we would have…for an average year.” During the last four weeks of 2009, 46,000 Iowans made their first application for unemployment benefits. Nationwide, the number of newly-laid off workers filing for unemployment in December dropped to the lowest levels since July of 2008.

“We’re not out of the woods by any means. It’s probably going to probably be a long process to get there,” Bervid says. “It simply means that things are starting to look like they’re getting a little better.” Bervid is legal counsel for the Iowa Workforce Development agency.

A Creighton University report released Monday predicts some job growth in Iowa in the first half of 2010. But Creighton economics professor Ernie Goss says “manufacturing job growth will be nil.”

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Business

Featured Stories

Final employee who was there at the launch of the Iowa Lottery to retire

No more USPS mail in Iowa prisons; inmates to get copies of mail

State officials warn of influx of fake prescription drugs laced with fentanyl

‘Brain-eating amoeba’ discovered in Taylor County lake

Cedar Rapids therapist’s relationship with student leads to years in prison

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

First minor league game gets things started tonight at Field of Dreams site

Knoxville set to host sprint car racing’s biggest event

Iowa State basketball builds on its identity

Vance provides leadership for ISU defense

Knee injury sidelines Iowa’s Feuerbach

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC