Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg, Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend.
(Adel, IA) -- The state of Iowa plans to use $30 million in federal funds to recruit and retain manufacturing employees. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says small and mid-size manufacturing companies will be able to apply for grants to help expand their workforce. She made the announcement today (Wednesday) at Iowa Spring Manufacturing in Adel, Iowa.
Reynolds says manufacturing accounts for the largest chunk of the states GDP at 18-percent. The state is third in the nation in the concentration of manufacturing workers. She says however, before the pandemic, there was a labor shortage, and the pandemic has made matters worse. Nationally, she says the industry is approaching an acute labor shortage within the next decade with more than one million open jobs.
Grants applications will become available today (Wednesday) at www.iowagrants.gov.