(Radio Iowa) – The head of Iowa Workforce Development says the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November rose one-tenth of a point from October to three-point-one percent.
Workforce director Beth Townsend says the increase was expected, even with the anticipated hiring of seasonal workers for the holidays. Townsend says they’ve seen a regular for quite some time due to “anxiety and uncertainty, given the national election.” The national unemployment rate also rose for the month to four-point-two percent, more than a full point above Iowa’s rate.
Another bright spot in the report, according to Townsend, was that 16-hundred Iowans came back to the labor force in search of a job. Townsend says it’s possible we’ll see better numbers for December, though she admits there may not be a significant shift upwards until spring.
