The coronavirus impact is showing up in the March unemployment numbers released today.
The rate moved up to 3.7% in March — which is nearly a full percentage point higher than February.
A statement from the Iowa Workforce Development director says the March rate only reflects the very beginning of the coronavirus impact — and she says that will not be fully evident until the April estimates are out.
The state saw 209,468 new unemployment claims in the last four weeks linked to the virus outbreak. Prior to the outbreak, the unemployment rate had barely changed — and at one point held steady at 2.4% for 12 straight months from June of 2018 through June of 2019.