Corridor jobless rates rise in July

CEDAR RAPIDS - Unemployment edged up slightly last month in the Corridor as manufacturers, education and government shed jobs.

Iowa Workforce Development on Tuesday reported that the Cedar Rapids jobless rate rose from 4.5 percent in June to 4.6 percent in July, while Iowa City's unemployment rate increased from 3.5 percent to to 3.6 percent.

Total nonfarm employment in the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area shed 2,100 jobs from June and stands at 141,700. Employment is 2,000 above a year ago and 2,700 above July 2012.

Professional and business services added 200 jobs in July. Financial activities and retail trade each added 100 jobs.

Manufacturers trimmed 200 jobs, split among durable and non-durable goods manufacturing. Educational and health services employment slipped 100 and local government is down a seasonal 2,100 jobs.

Professional and business services experienced a gain of 500 jobs from July 2013 and leads all sectors for over-the-year gains.

Nonfarm employment in the Iowa City metropolitan area increased 200 jobs from June and is up 1,200 from a year ago. Leisure and hospitality and government each lost 100 jobs from last month and trade and transportation shed 200 jobs.

Goods-producing industries added 600 jobs from July of last year and service-providing industries experienced an equal gain. Professional and business services added 400 jobs and leisure and hospitality added an equal number of positions. Trade and transportation is down 200 jobs from July 2013.

Government has shed 1,300 jobs from July 2013.

Iowa's statewide unemployment rate rose last month to 4.5 percent from 4.4 percent in June. The total number of working Iowans decreased to 1,623,800 in July from 1,624,700 in June.