The number of unemployed Iowans continues to drop. The number of continuing unemployment claims dropped by nearly 2,500 in the last week and they are now below 40,000 (39,615).
Ongoing claims peaked at more than 189-thousand during the pandemic shutdowns in May. The drop in overall claims came despite an increase in first-time claims by more than five hundred.
Iowa Workforce Development says this is the time of year when unemployment claims typically start to go up with colder weather and employers in construction, agriculture and landscaping start to lay off their workforce.