Iowa Workforce Development’s new unemployment system website to launch June 3

DES MOINES — After being in place for decades, the state’s unemployment system website is getting a significant upgrade after Iowa Workforce Development announced it will replace it with a new, modernized version early next month.

The current system run by IWD is made up of multiple sites and accounts, which force users to go back and forth between when using them. With the change, all employment services, including a portal to file unemployment insurance claims and find job postings, will be on one site

Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development Beth Townsend said the new site will be easier for claimants and employers to navigate.

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“For several years, IWD has been working hard to improve the unemployment process for Iowans and make navigating it as easy as possible so they can focus on what matters most — finding a promising career that matches their skills and goals,” Townsend said in a statement. “Modernizing our unemployment system is the culmination of a lot of thoughtful work, and we’re excited to combine our systems in one central location on iowaworks.gov. Once live, this system will greatly enhance the experience for both individuals and employers and will help place them both in positions that will ultimately benefit our entire workforce.”

Originally launched in the 1970s, the system has undergone updates over the years, but this is the largest overhaul it’s ever seen. Under the new system, initial unemployment claims can be filed at any hour, and weekly unemployment claims can be filed any day at any hour except on Saturdays. Claims currently have to be submitted during a certain time window each day.

On the new site, claimants also will be notified immediately of actions against their claim or whether they have missing information, instead of waiting for a former employer to send a response through the mail.

The site was shut down at the end of the business day Tuesday and will remain dark until June 3. During this time, no new claims can be made and no accounts can be added. Claims can again be made starting June 3.

Iowans still can receive career-related services at IowaWORKS centers across the state while the system is dark.

In April, nearly 8,000 initial unemployment claims were filed in the state, according to Iowa Workforce Development. This year, companies across Iowa have announced mass worker layoffs, including Wells Fargo, Whirlpool and John Deere.

Julie Fugenschuh, executive director of Project IOWA, which provides resources and support to Iowans during the employment process, said the current site takes a while to navigate.

In the summer of 2024, Project IOWA helped some workers impacted by the Smithfield and Tyson plant layoffs — who primarily spoke Burmese — file for unemployment. Fugenschuh said it took hours to file one claim.

“There were multiple systems that you had to go through,” Fugenschuh said. “This one system would be great … that should make it much easier.”