DES MOINES – Iowa is now tied with Hawaii for having the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. Iowa’s November unemployment rate remained at 2.4 percent while Hawaii increased to 2.4 percent. The last time Iowa had the lowest unemployment rate in the nation was March 2000 when the state tied with South Dakota and Virginia at 2.4 percent.
“This is exciting news to receive as we start to celebrate the holiday season,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said. “More Iowans than ever are working, and that is a reflection of the great job opportunities available in our state. These new unemployment numbers are proof that the hard work we are doing to grow our economy and our skilled workforce – efforts like Future Ready Iowa, Home Base Iowa and Registered Apprenticeship – are paying off.”
According to this month’s unemployment information released by Iowa Workforce Development, November saw an additional 1,900 Iowans enter the workforce, bringing the total number of employed Iowans to 1,648,900 – the most in state history. The number of unemployed Iowans decreased by 600 to 40,600 in November. The current estimate is 8,600 lower than November 2017.
