Iowa businesses added 8,300 jobs in January, raising the state’s total nonfarm employment to a record high 1,591,300, Iowa Workforce Development reported today.

Nearly 47% of the jobs added, or 3,900, were in construction, the agency reported. The increase may be evidence that construction workers are working later into the season. Overall, there were 86,200 people working in construction in January, Iowa’s highest level of employment in the sector, the agency reported.

Other sectors that experienced increased employment were education and health services (up 1,500 jobs), manufacturing (up 1,400 jobs), and leisure and hospitality (up 900 jobs).

In December, Iowa’s total nonfarm employment was 1,583,000. In January 2022, the state’s total nonfarm employment was 1,553,100.

In the past 12 months, Iowa firms have added 38,200 jobs, the agency reported.

In January, Iowa’s labor force participation rate was 68.1%, down slightly from December’s revised rate of 68.2%. Also, 51,100 Iowans were unemployed in January, a decrease from December when there were 52,300 unemployed Iowans.

Iowa reported an unemployment rate in January of 3%; December’s revised unemployment rate was also 3%.

The U.S. unemployment rate in January was 3.4%.