Local unemployment improves in April

Local unemployment in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids metro areas improved last month, largely on the strength of hiring in manufacturing, trade and professional services.

The Cedar Rapids metro unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent in April from March's 6.7 percent, according to Iowa Workforce Development.  Total nonfarm employment increased 2,100 from March to stand at 138,300.

The Iowa City metro unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent in April from 4.6 percent in March. Nonfarm employment increased 600 to 91,000, but remained down 300 from April 2010 levels.

Metropolitan Cedar Rapids gained 300 manufacturing  jobs for the month. Manufacturing in the Cedar Rapids metro area is now up 100 from one year ago at 20,300.

Statewide unemloyment, released last week, improved to 6 percent from 6.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis. Local unemployment statistics are not seasonally adjusted.

The Iowa City unemployment rates was the lowest of any metropolitan statitical area in the state. Unemployment rates were the highest in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids metropolitan statistical areas, which were matched at 6.1 percent in April.

Unemployment also showed improvement in the state's multi-county micropolitan areas, but still remained higher than the larger metro areas.  The unemployment rate in Fort Madison-Keokuk dropped into single digits, to 9.4 percent from 10.2 percent in March.

Oly one of the state's counties had unemployment in the double digits during April.

 The unemployment rate in Hamilton County shot up from 8.9 percent in March to 12 percent, the result of the closing of  the Electrolux plant in Webster City.

The number of unemployed job-seekers in Hamilton County increased to 890 from 700 in March and the number employed fell to 6,530 from 7,110 in March.