Iowa, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City areas record more job losses than gains

The national recession began in December 2007 and has affected Iowa much less than the country as a whole. Here's a look at which job sectors have shrunk, which grew and which held steady between November 2007 and March 2012:

CEDAR RAPIDS METRO AREA

(Linn, Benton, Jones counties)

Shrunk

• Construction: Minus 2,400 jobs to 5,900, down 29 percent
• Government: Minus 400 jobs, to 16,200, down 2.4 percent.
• Leisure/hospitality: Minus 1,900 jobs to 9,200. down 17 percent
• Manufacturing: Minus 2,000 to 20,400, down 8.9 percent
• Retail: Minus 1,200 jobs to 15,400, down 7.2 percent

Grew

• Education,/health: Plus 600 jobs to 19,100, up 3.2 percent.

Steady

• Professional/business services: Minus 100 jobs to 12,800, down 0.8 percent

IOWA CITY METRO AREA

(Johnson, Washington counties)

Shrunk

•  Goods producing: Minus 1,100 jobs to 9,200, down 10.7 percent.
•  Leisure/hospitality: Minus 800 jobs to 8,300, down 8.7 percent.

Steady

•  Government: Minus 200 jobs to 33,900, down 0.5 percent.
• Professional/ business: services: Plus 400 jobs to 5,700, up 0.8 percent

IOWA

Shrunk

•  Construction: Minus 7,000 jobs to 66,700, down 9.5 percent.
•  Government: Minus 3,700 jobs to 247,000, down 1.5 percent
•  Leisure/ hospitality: Minus 7,500 jobs to 130,600, down 5.6 percent
•  Manufacturing: Minus 12,700 jobs to 217,500, down 5.5 percent
•  Retail: Minus 7,600 jobs to 171,100, down 4.3 percent

Grew

•  Education/health: Plus 12,200 jobs to 217,300, up 5.9 percent.

Steady

• Professional/ business services: Minus 600 jobs to 121,700, down 0.5 percent

ANALYSIS

“We're recovering, but we're doing it slowly. It's two more jobs gained, but we lose one. We're recovering, but it's not as fast as you'd like to.”

- David Osterberg, director, Iowa policy Project, Iowa City:

“We're really bucking the national trend in some of these sectors like finance and transportation, and that bodes well for our recovery.”

- Iowa State University Professor of Labor Economics Peter Orazem:

Source: Iowa Workforce Development

Note: Categories for Cedar Rapids and Iowa City metropolitan statistical areas differ because sample sizes differ; numbers are not seasonally adjusted