114,000 Iowans Are Jobless – 6.8% Of Population

August marks another month in a long list in which Iowa’s pool of unemployed individuals grew, despite claims from Governor Culver and legislative Democrats that summer construction projects, created by federal stimulus and “I-JOBS” dollars, would put people back to work.  In fact, Iowa’s unemployment rate increased during every month this summer.   On September 18, 2009, Iowa Workforce Development announced Iowa’s unemployment rate jumped to 6.8%, its highest level since July 1986.  The jobless rate in Iowa last month stood at 6.5% and this month last year it the rate was down more than 2 points at 4.2%.  Currently, over 114,000 Iowans are out of work, nearly 6,000 more than last month and 44,000 more than a year ago.  Iowa’s construction sector lost 900 jobs in August,  9,300 eliminated throughout the past year.  Iowa’s unemployment situation is a disturbing trend that has become the norm.     House Republicans remain committed to working with their colleagues to reform Iowa’s tax code to reduce the tax burden on individuals and businesses responsible for creating the jobs needed to reverse the current unemployment trend.