Delaware County’s Unemployment Rate Down for March

Delaware County’s unemployment rate is down from February.

The latest numbers from Iowa Workforce Development show Delaware County at four percent for March – down from four-point-six percent in February. Linn County’s unemployment rate is at three-point-nine percent, Dubuque and Buchanan counties at four percent, Fayette County at four-point-three, Jones County at five-percent and Clayton County at five-point-four percent unemployment.

Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says the March unemployment rate increased by one-tenth of a percent to three-point-four percent.

Townsend says the additional workers kept the workforce participation rate the same in March. The construction, education and health services, trade, transportation and utilities areas added 15-hundred jobs. Townsend says Iowa firms lost 15-hundred jobs in March, mostly in private service industries.

Townsend says the turnover in the job market has slowed.

Townsend says things have continued to even out when it comes to job losses and additions.

Townsend says the new administration didn’t take over until mid January, so new policies have not yet started to impact the labor market. There have been several announcements of layoffs in manufacturing, but Townsend says the number of weeks of unemployment paid out is still around nine.

The U.S. unemployment rate increased to four-point-two percent in March.

story courtesy of Radio Iowa; image courtesy of Iowa Workforce Development