Iowa unemployment dips in March

Cory Kelly with Iowa Workforce Development says the March unemployment rate fell to 3.1 percent compared to 3.2 percent in February.

Statewide, the unemployment rate decreased three-tenths of a percentage point in March to 2.6 percent – the lowest unemployment rate for Colorado since the reports began in 1976.

March’s rate was almost two percentage points lower than in March 2016, when it was 4.1 percent.

The First Coast unemployment figure for March came in at 4.1 percent, down from the February rate of 4.6 percent before seasonal adjustments.

In March 2016, the unemployment rate was 3.7 percent. A separate survey published this week by the statistics institute showed factory employment up 3.6% in February from a year before, with solid gains in manufacturing of transport equipment and computers.

The labor force – employed and unemployed people combined – stayed about flat. Overall, Vermont’s unemployment rate was the sixth lowest in the country for the same time period.

The March drop coupled with February’s downward revised gain means that IL remains 19,600 jobs short of reaching its prior peak employment reached in September 2000. Construction added 2,200 jobs, led by specialty trades.

“Our state has the potential to be the most competitive in the nation”, said Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity Director Sean McCarthy.

The labor force in the Commonwealth also grew for the 12th consecutive month, setting record highs for the state and for household employment.

There were job losses in Information (-100), Financial Activities (-100), Construction (-200), Professional & Business Services (-200), Educational & Business Services (-300), and Trade, Transportation, & Utilities (-400). “Arkansas’ jobless rate has fallen each month since December, after remaining fairly stable throughout most of 2016”. New Mexico had the highest rate at 6.7 percent, followed by Alaska at 6.4 percent, Alabama and Washington, D.C., at 5.8 percent and Lousiana at 5.7 percent. The number of working residents rose about 500 to 1.64 million. Other sectors showed minor, but offsetting job gains.