• 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 / Iowa unemployment rate unchanged in January

Iowa unemployment rate unchanged in January

March 18, 2013 By Matt Kelley

More jobs were added across Iowa in January, but the state’s unemployment rate held steady. A new report released this morning by Iowa Workforce Development  noted the December 2012 unemployment rate was revised from 4.9 percent up to 5-percent.

Kerry Koonce is a spokesperson for the agency. “That’s where we are for January as well, 5.0 percent, which is down significantly from this time last year – 5.4 percent,” Koonce said. “And we’re well below the national rate of 7.9 percent.”

The number of unemployed Iowans climbed to 82,100 in January — up from 81,700 in December. But, the state added 3,700 jobs in the first month of the year. “We added 2,600 jobs in manufacturing,” Koonce said. “The trade, transportation and utilities field added 500 and we added 3,100 jobs in professional and business services.”

January marks the fourth consecutive month for job gains in manufacturing. The biggest job losses in January came in the education and health services sector and the leisure and hospitality industry — with each shedding 1,300 jobs.

Koonce said the losses stemmed primarily from lower than expected hiring in private education services and a decrease in spending for recreation and dining services.

Iowa’s average unemployment rate for all of 2012 was 5.2 percent. That compares to 5.9 percent in 2011. Manufacturing led the year-over-year job growth, adding 7,300 jobs in 2012.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Business, News, Top Story Tagged With: Employment and Labor

Featured Stories

Governor signs child care expansion into law

Iowa seniors have until July 1 to apply for new property tax break

Smoke from distant fires creates colorful sunrise in Iowa

DOT’s Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division to merge into State Patrol

Iowa’s governor approves liability limits for trucking industry

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 5/29/23

Iowa AD Gary Barta announces retirement

Iowa to visit Creighton in Gavitt Tipoff Games

Iowa and Indiana collide Thursday at B1G baseball tournament

Former Hawkeye joins Lisa Bluder’s staff at Iowa

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC