Unemployment down...Good?

Iowa's unemployment rate has dropped by a tenth of a point from a year ago. That means another 16,000 Iowans are working now than in Feb 2007. But the Iowa Policy Project cautions not to count up the numbers just yet.

Here's part of the release:

The data set used previously showed that during 2007, nonfarm jobs grew at a pace of about 1,600 per month, slightly ahead of 2006. Newly revised data for 2007 shows only a 1,000 per month gain. “Not only did 2007 come in with a slower job growth, it was only about half of the 1800 per month gains in both 2004 and 2005,” said David Osterberg, Executive Director of the nonpartisan Iowa Policy Project, which tracks Iowa job trends. According to the Department of Workforce Development’s monthly release today, nonfarm employment in Iowa totaled 1,522,900 in January, reflecting a gain of 1,900 jobs from December. However, before a recent, annual statistical adjustment, the December nonfarm total had been estimated slightly higher at 1,527,800. “That means, even with an increase in jobs in January, total jobs are fewer than we had previously recorded,” said Beth Pearson, Research Associate at IPP.

ETC.
Congrats to a couple Forty under 40 tv friends. WHO-TV's early riser, Patrick Dix made the list. So did Tiffany Tauscheck, the wife of my work desk mate and master storyteller, Mark. The whole group of 40 gets a little public recognition at a shindig tonight. Here's the full forty.