Iowa jobless rate falls slightly, but employment worries remain

Iowa's unemployment rate edged downward slightly in December, as the number of workers counted as unemployed fell by 1,100.

The December unemployment rate of 6.6 percent was down from 6.7 percent in November. Both rates are seasonally adjusted.

Iowa Workforce Development Director Elisabeth Buck didn't find too much to celebrate in the report.

“The state's deep cuts in nonfarm employment in December sent a signal that the long-awaited economic recoery remains elusive,” Buck said. “Companies are still reluctant to hire, making it increasingly difficult for workers to find jobs.”

The national unemployment rate remained stable in December at 10 percent.

Iowa Workforce Development leaders cast the December figures as “continuing a five-month streak of relatively stable unemployment.”