Iowa’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.7% for the third straight month in July. Iowa’s Workforce Development says the number of people entering the workforce continues to increase.
It went up for the fifth straight month to 68.8% and equals the same participation rate as in March 2020. The workforce participation rate has steadily worked its way back since the pandemic, but this is the first time in over three years that the actual percentage of Iowans who are working or are actively looking for work has reached back up to the level that it was.
The service industries in the state saw 2,200 job losses in July, but total nonfarm employment has gained 14,400 jobs since last year. Education and health care gained the bulk of those jobs.