(Undated) -- Iowa's unemployment rate is up slightly, .1% from August to September. Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend tells WHO Radio News it's not all bad news.
"While we saw a slight uptick in the unemployment rate our labor force participation rate remained the same which is a good indication that Iowans continue to return to the workforce."
Townsend says there are still a lot of jobs open in Iowa.
"We have over 83,000 open jobs available in Iowa, so we have opportunity for anybody and everybody who wants to find a job."
She says manufacturing added hundreds of jobs last month and has added 8,800 jobs this year. However leisure and hospitality has been the strongest sector this year.
"Leisure and hospitality over the year has been the leading industry in terms of adding jobs," she says. "Over 11,000 over the course of the year."
Townsend says the September unemployment rate was 2.7%, .8% below the national average and 1.4% lower than this time last year.