DES MOINES, Iowa — The latest report from Iowa Workforce Development showed the state's unemployment rate has continued its downward trend, from 4% in September to 3.9% in October and 3.7% in November.
According to workforce development, the number of unemployed Iowans saw an over-3,000-person decrease, from 64,800 in October to 61,600 in November.
The majority of job gains were made in leisure and hospitality, and the only sectors to show a loss in job growth were durable goods factories and informational services.
The reduction at factories can be attributed to the John Deere labor union contract dispute. Iowa Workforce Development said it expects December will show a substantial rebound in factory jobs, as Deere's union workers returned to their job sites on Nov. 18.
Iowa tied with South Carolina and Wyoming for the nineteenth-lowest employment rate in the nation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nebraska came in first with 1.8%, and California came in last with 6.9%.
The U.S. unemployment rate also saw a decrease in November to 4.2%, down from 4.6% this October and 6.7% November 2020.