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The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 9.0% in January, while nonfarm payroll employment changed little (+36,000), the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Employment rose in manufacturing and in retail trade but was down in construction and in transportation and warehousing. Employment in most other major industries changed little over the month.

Household Survey Data

The unemployment rate (9.0%) declined by 0.4 percentage point for the second month in a row. The number of unemployed persons decreased by about 600,000 in January to 13.9 million, while the labor force was unchanged. (Based on data adjusted for updated population controls.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (8.8%), whites (8.0%), and Hispanics (11.9%) declined in January. The unemployment rates for adult women (7.9%), teenagers (25.7%), and blacks (15.7%) were little changed. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.9%, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs fell from 8.9 to 8.5 million in January. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) edged down to 6.2 million and accounted for 43.8% of the unemployed.

After accounting for the annual adjustment to the population controls, the employment-population ratio (58.4%) rose in January, and the labor force participation rate (64.2%) was unchanged.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) declined from 8.9 to 8.4 million in January. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

In January, 2.8 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, up from 2.5 million a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.0 million discouraged workers in January, about the same as a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.8 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 9.4% in December, and nonfarm payroll employment increased by 103,000, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Employment rose in leisure and hospitality and in health care but was little changed in other major industries.

Household Survey Data

The number of unemployed persons decreased by 556,000 to 14.5 million in December, and the unemployment rate dropped to 9.4%. Over the year, these measures were down from 15.2 million and 9.9%, respectively.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (9.4%) and whites (8.5%) declined in December. The unemployment rates for adult women (8.1%), teenagers (25.4%), blacks (15.8%), and Hispanics (13.0%) showed little change. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.2%, not seasonally adjusted.

In December, the number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs dropped by 548,000 to 8.9 million. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 6.4 million and accounted for 44.3% of the unemployed.

The civilian labor force participation rate edged down in December to 64.3%, and the employment-population ratio was essentially unchanged at 58.3%.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged in December at 8.9 million. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in December, little different than a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.3 million discouraged workers in December, an increase of 389,000 from December 2009. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.3 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

The unemployment rate edged up to 9.8% in November, and nonfarm payroll employment was little changed (+39,000), the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Temporary help services and health care continued to add jobs over the month, while employment fell in retail trade. Employment in most major industries changed little in November.

Household Survey Data

The number of unemployed persons was 15.1 million in November. The unemployment rate edged up to 9.8%; it was 9.6% in each of the prior 3 months.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (10.0%), adult women (8.4%), whites (8.9%), and Hispanics (13.2%) edged up in November. The jobless rate for blacks (16.0%) showed little change over the month, while the rate for teenagers declined to 24.6%. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.6%, not seasonally adjusted.

Among the unemployed, the number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs rose by 390,000 to 9.5 million in November. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was little changed at 6.3 million and accounted for 41.9% of the unemployed.

The civilian labor force participation rate held at 64.5% in November, and the employment population ratio was essentially unchanged at 58.2%.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed over the month at 9.0 million. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in November, up from 2.3 million a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.3 million discouraged workers in November, an increase of 421,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.2 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 151,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.6%, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Since December 2009, nonfarm payroll employment has risen by 874,000.

The number of unemployed persons, at 14.8 million, was little changed in October. The unemployment rate remained at 9.6% and has been essentially unchanged since May.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.7%), adult women (8.1%), teenagers (27.1%), whites (8.8%), blacks (15.7%), and Hispanics (12.6%) showed little change in October. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.1%, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was about unchanged over the month at 6.2 million. In October, 41.8% of unemployed persons had been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

Both the civilian labor force participation rate, at 64.5%, and the employment-population ratio, at 58.3%, edged down over the month.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) fell by 318,000 over the month to 9.2 million, partially offsetting large increases in the prior 2 months. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in October, up from 2.4 million a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in October, an increase of 411,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.4 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Nonfarm payroll employment edged down (-95,000) in September, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.6 percent, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Government employment declined (-159,000), reflecting both a drop in the number of temporary jobs for Census 2010 and job losses in local government. Private-sector payroll employment continued to trend up modestly (+64,000).

The number of unemployed persons, at 14.8 million, was essentially unchanged in September, and the unemployment rate held at 9.6%

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.8%), adult women (8.0%), teenagers (26.0%), whites (8.7%), blacks (16.1%), and Hispanics (12.4%) showed little or no change in September. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.4%, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over), at 6.1 million, was little changed over the month but was down by 640,000 since a series high of 6.8 million in May. In September, 41.7% of unemployed persons had been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

In September, both the civilian labor force participation rate, at 64.7%, and the employment-population ratio, at 58.5%, were unchanged.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) rose by 612,000 over the month to 9.5 million. Over the past 2 months, the number of such workers has increased by 943,000. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.5 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in September, up from 2.2 million a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in September, an increase of 503,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.3 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Iowa Workforce Development has announced that the 2011 unemployment rates will be based on Table 3; 2010 rates are based on Table 4. This move to higher rates is required to maintain the solvency of the Trust Fund used to provide unemployment benefits.

Director Elisabeth Buck Comments on the Increase

According to Director Elisabeth Buck, “Iowa Workforce Development is committed to maintaining the solvency of the Trust Fund while minimizing the effects felt by Iowa employers. The Department is continually working with Iowans receiving unemployment benefits to increase their skill sets and reduce barriers individuals may have for returning to work.”

Wage Base Will Also Increase in 2011

In addition, the taxable wage base for 2011 has been announced. The wage base will increase to $24,700, up from $24,500 for 2010. Consequently, many employers will see contributions to the fund increase based on both the higher rate and the higher wage base.

Find Out the Wage Base for All States by Visiting the Vision Payroll Unemployment Taxable Wage Base Page

Contact Vision Payroll with any questions on the Iowa unemployment insurance rates or wage base or visit our Unemployment Taxable Wage Base page.

Nonfarm payroll employment changed little (-54,000) in August, and the unemployment rate was about unchanged at 9.6%, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Government employment fell, as 114,000 temporary workers hired for the decennial census completed their work. Private-sector payroll employment continued to trend up modestly (+67,000).

Household Survey Data

The number of unemployed persons (14.9 million) and the unemployment rate (9.6% percent) were little changed in August. From May through August, the jobless rate remained in the range of 9.5 to 9.7 percent.

Major Work Groups Data

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.8%), adult women (8.0%), teenagers (26.3%), whites (8.7%), blacks (16.3%), and Hispanics (12.0%) showed little change in August. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.2%, not seasonally adjusted.

Decline in Long-term Unemployed

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) declined by 323,000 over the month to 6.2 million. In August, 42.0 percent of unemployed persons had been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

Civilian Labor Force Increases Slightly

In August, the civilian labor force participation rate (64.7%) and the employment-population ratio (58.5%) were essentially unchanged.

Increase in Involuntary Part-time Workers

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) increased by 331,000 over the month to 8.9 million. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

Little Change in Marginally Attached Labor Force

About 2.4 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in August, little changed from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Discouraged Workers up 47% in One Year

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.1 million discouraged workers in August, an increase of 352,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.3 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 131,000 in July, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.5%, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Federal government employment fell, as 143,000 temporary workers hired for the decennial census completed their work. Private-sector payroll employment edged up by 71,000.

Both the number of unemployed persons, at 14.6 million, and the unemployment rate, at 9.5%, were unchanged in July.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.7%), adult women (7.9%), teenagers (26.1%), whites (8.6%), blacks (15.6%), and Hispanics (12.1%) showed little or no change in July. The jobless rate for Asians was 8.2%, not seasonally adjusted.

In July, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was little changed at 6.6 million. These individuals made up 44.9% of unemployed persons.

The civilian labor force participation rate (64.6%) and the employment-population ratio (58.4%) were essentially unchanged in July; however, these measures have declined by 0.6 percentage points and 0.4 points, respectively, since April.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged over the month at 8.5 million but has declined by 623,000 since April. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in July, an increase of 340,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in July, up by 389,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.4 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 125,000 in June, and the unemployment rate edged down to 9.5 %, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. The decline in payroll employment reflected a decrease (-225,000) in the number of temporary employees working on Census 2010. Private-sector payroll employment edged up by 83,000.

Both the number of unemployed persons, at 14.6 million, and the unemployment rate, at 9.5%, edged down in June.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult women (7.8%) declined, while the rates for adult men (9.9%), teenagers (25.7%), whites (8.6%), blacks (15.4%), and Hispanics (12.4%) showed little or no change. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.7%, not seasonally adjusted.

In June, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was unchanged at 6.8 million. These individuals made up 45.5% of unemployed persons.

The civilian labor force participation rate fell by 0.3 percentage point in June to 64.7%. The employment-population ratio, at 58.5%, edged down over the month.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers), at 8.6 million, was little changed over the month but was down by 525,000 over the past 2 months. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

In June, about 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, an increase of 415,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in June, up by 414,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.4 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.

Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 431,000 in May, reflecting the hiring of 411,000 temporary employees to work on Census 2010, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently. Private-sector employment changed little (+41,000). Manufacturing, temporary help services, and mining added jobs, while construction employment declined. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7%.

The number of unemployed persons was 15.0 million in May. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7%, the same rate as in the first 3 months of 2010.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for blacks (15.5%) declined in May, while the rates for adult men (9.8%), adult women (8.1%), teenagers (26.4%), whites (8.8%), and Hispanics (12.4%) showed little change. The jobless rate for Asians was 7.5%, not seasonally adjusted.

In May, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was about unchanged at 6.8 million. These individuals made up 46.0% of unemployed persons, about the same as in April.

The number of unemployed reentrants to the labor force fell by 286,000 in May, offsetting an increase in April.

In May, the civilian labor force participation rate edged down by 0.2 percentage points to 65.0%. The employment-population ratio was about unchanged over the month at 58.7%

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) declined by 343,000 in May to 8.8 million. These individuals were working part-time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job.

About 2.2 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in May, unchanged from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

Among the marginally attached, there were 1.1 million discouraged workers in May, up by 291,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.1 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities.