Iowa’s unemployment rate increases to 3.8 percent in April

Iowa’s unemployment rate inched up in April to 3.8 percent, a slight uptick from March’s adjusted 3.7 percent rate, Iowa Workforce Development said Friday.

After several months of drastic decreases in Iowa’s unemployment rate since it peaked at 11.1 percent in April 2020, the rate has plateaued between 3.6 and 3.9 percent since last November.

Overall employment increased by 1,800 although total nonfarm employment decreased by 5,800.

Construction lost 3,100 jobs in April, and trade, transportation and utilities lost 2,500 jobs. Leisure and hospitality and “other services” were the only nonfarm industries to gain more than 1,000 jobs.

Iowa’s labor force saw growth that outpaced overall employment, which suggested an increase in people actively seeking work.

The state’s labor force participation rate rose from 66 percent in March, to 66.1 percent, in April and has been increasing since falling to 65.3 percent in December.

Iowa’s labor force remains 72,000 people short of what it was in April 2020, though, when the labor force participation rate was at 69.1 percent.

The unemployment rate only includes people actively seeking work and therefore does not necessarily include all Iowans who are out of work. The monthly numbers are also preliminary and may still be adjusted by the U.S. Department of Labor.

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