Iowa unemployment rate nudged up in June

In May, the unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, the lowest it had been this year.

The Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Warren and Washington counties, saw its employment rate fall from 4.2 percent in May to 3.9 percent in June.

Hancock County’s unemployment rose to 3.7 percent in June from 3.4 percent in May, the state reported.

One factor, however, behind the lower rates today is a smaller participating labor force as a result of circumstances such as people giving up on looking for work, retiring or moving out of the region.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the overall jobless rate held steady at 8.9 percent in June.

Montgomery County’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent in June, up from 5.6 percent in May but down from 7.3 percent in June of previous year.

While these numbers show an increase from May to June, the unemployment rate is only up slightly from the same time a year ago. From June 2015 to June 2016, unemployment rates increased in nearly every county.

A survey has found that the number of young people who are unemployed in the Bahamas continues “to be considerably higher than any other age group” in the country. In Pinellas, the number of unemployed increased by 2,038 from May to June, but the labor force also increased by 1,912.

Monroe County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state, 3.1 percent, and ranked No. 67. But that was up from 4.1 percent in May.

She said that she’s hearing, at least anecdotally, that some companies are having difficulty hiring, as the unemployment rate declines. Not including farm employment, that is a decrease of 7,600 jobs.

The leisure and hospitality sector posted the largest gain, adding 8,800 jobs.