State jobless rate remains steady

DES MOINES – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 2.9 percent in September amid a labor force that remained largely static despite job reductions. The state’s labor force participation rate held steady at 66.3 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 4.1 percent in September.
“The September report is evidence that many Iowa businesses remain reluctant to hire due to uncertainty about the direction of the national economy,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “This ‘wait and see’ attitude we are seeing in hiring is unlikely to subside until after the upcoming election. However, more than 52,000 open jobs remain posted on IowaWORKS.gov, and IWD is well-positioned to help anyone looking for their next job with employers who are hiring in their communities.”
The number of unemployed Iowans increased to 49,400 in September from 48,400 in August.
The total number of working Iowans fell to 1,634,500 in September. This figure is 1,000 lower than August and 18,800 lower than one year ago. 
Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment
Iowa firms shed 4,800 jobs in September, lowering total nonfarm employment to 1,603,600. The largest movements were in education and in health care (-2,200), fueled mostly by losses in health care services. Private education drove the remaining losses, although they were much smaller (-400). These losses were partially offset by hiring in leisure and hospitality, which countered with 600 jobs gained. The September loss marks the third consecutive decline in three months totaling 6,600 jobs shed since June. Private industries lost 3,900 total jobs while government (a sector that includes federal, state, and local political subdivisions, as well as schools, universities, and public hospitals) pared 900. The jobs lost in government were at the state level and related to public universities starting later than usual this year (hiring appeared to occur after the September jobs survey and is expected to be reflected as normal next month). Government now rests up 2,400 jobs annually. Total nonfarm employment has added 11,600 jobs over the year.
Health care and social assistance lost the most jobs of any industry in September (-2,200) and has now shed 4,100 jobs over the last two months. The losses have been spread throughout all industries within this sector. Elsewhere, professional and business services decreased this month (-900). Professional and technical services along with administrative support and waste management industries fueled this loss. On the other hand, job gains were smaller in magnitude and led by leisure and hospitality (+600). Accommodations and food services was responsible for all the jobs added as arts, entertainment, and recreation decreased slightly.
Compared to last year’s level, Iowa firms have added 11,600 jobs equating to a gain of 0.7 percent. Leisure and hospitality contributed the most to this gain (+6,500) followed by education and health care services (+6,000). Construction has countered these losses with 2,300 jobs added to payrolls.