20 Oct 2023

Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors Moving to IowaWORKS Office in Des Moines

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (October 20, 2023) — Eighteen vocational rehabilitation counselors who currently work with job candidates in offices across from the Iowa Capitol complex will be moving their desks next week to the IowaWORKS job center in south Des Moines. The change is part of implementing a broad statewide-alignment plan targeted to increase coordination of government services and make it easier for Iowans to access what they need.

20 Oct 2023

Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Increases to 3.0 Percent in September

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (October 20, 2023) — Iowa’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate ticked up to 3.0 percent in September, up from 2.9 percent last month but down from 3.1 percent a year ago. Meanwhile, Iowa’s labor force participation rate decreased slightly from 68.7 percent to 68.6 percent in September as college students left the workforce to return to school.

04 Oct 2023

Iowa Workforce Development Unveils New Website

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (October 4, 2023) — Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) today unveiled its new website, which is intended to simplify the presentation o

02 Oct 2023

Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) Welcomes James Williams as New Administrator of Vocational Rehabilitation Services

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (October 2, 2023) — Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) announced the hiring of James Williams EdD as the new Division Administrator for Vocational Rehabilitation Services, effective today. Williams will oversee the state’s vocational-rehabilitation program, which moved to IWD as part of the state’s alignment effort. The move is designed to make it easier for Iowans to access all available workforce services in a single location and working with a single team.

27 Sep 2023

Iowa K-12 Teachers, Students Invited to Sign Up for Statewide “Design Challenge”

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (September 27, 2023) — Iowa Workforce Development and the Iowa Department of Education have announced the second round of the Build Iowa’s Future Design Challenge, a unique opportunity for K-12 students to create innovative projects, connect to careers, and compete for up to $1,000 in prizes for their schools. Community Colleges for Iowa, Master Builders of Iowa (MBI), and Pella Corporation are sponsoring the challenge awards.

15 Sep 2023

Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 2.9 Percent in August

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (September 15, 2023) — Iowa’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose from 2.7 percent to 2.9 percent in August, tying the year-ago rate, while the US unemployment rate increased from 3.5 percent to 3.8 percent in August.

31 Aug 2023

MBI-Works 2023 Endowment Funding Opportunity For Expanding Careers in Construction Open Until September 15

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (August 31, 2023) — The 2023 Request for Proposal (RFP) from the MBI-WORKS (Master Builders of Workforce Opportunities Require Knowledge and Skills) Endowment Board is open to schools and non-profit programs across Iowa through Sept. 15, 2023. First announced earlier this summer, the MBI-WORKS Endowment provides resources to complement career education and workforce recruitment into the Iowa commercial construction industry.

29 Aug 2023

Unemployment Insurance Rates for Iowa Employers to Remain at Lowest-Possible Level in 2024

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (August 29, 2023) — Governor Kim Reynolds announced on August 28 that the schedule of unemployment insurance rates used to tax Iowa employers will remain at the lowest possible level allowed by law. This marks the second consecutive year at the current rates, and only the second time Iowa’s rates have been at this level during the past 25 years.

17 Aug 2023

Average Length of Iowa Unemployment Claim is Falling Following RCM

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (August 17, 2023) — Eighteen months after Iowa revamped its approach to unemployment and began providing earlier job-search assistance to people seeking unemployment benefits, the average length of an unemployment claim has dropped to its lowest level in more than 55 years.

A recent review of Iowa Workforce Development data shows that unemployment claims lasted for an average of 10.7 weeks in calendar year 2022 – 10.1 weeks for the 12 months that ended May 31, 2023.

17 Aug 2023

Iowa’s Labor Force Participation Rate Returns to Pre-Pandemic Level; Unemployment Rate Unchanged in July

By Jesse Dougherty

DES MOINES, IOWA (August 17, 2023) — Iowa’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 2.7 percent in July but remains down from 2.8 percent one year ago. The state’s labor force added 2,700 new workers in July, increasing Iowa’s labor-force participation rate to 68.8 percent. That is up from 68.2 percent a year ago and equals the participation rate in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the US unemployment rate decreased to 3.5 percent in July from 3.6 percent the month before.

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