DES MOINES, IOWA ñ The Iowa job market continued to show improved hiring in February, while the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 6.1 percent.|DES MOINES, IOWA ñ The Iowa job market continued to show improved hiring in February, while the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 6.1 percent. Iowa’s jobless rate was also 6.1 percent for February 2010. Meanwhile, the U.S. jobless rate for February edged down to 8.9 percent, the first time the rate fell below 9.0 percent since April 2009.
“The weak recovery that began in the summer of 2009 appears to be stabilizing,” said Teresa Wahlert, director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Nonfarm employment has increased steadily since September, a departure from the slow hiring pattern experienced last summer.”
The pool of unemployed Iowans increased slightly to 102,200 in February from 101,900 in January. The year ago level of 101,500 was 700 less than the current month’s estimate.
The total number of working Iowans advanced to 1,578,900 in February, the highest figure recorded since April 2009. Total employment stood at 1,576,500 in January, and 1,565,600 in February 2010.|
