Iowa is entering the fourth quarter of 2025 with some worrisome trends: The number of Iowans who are unemployed has steadily increased since the start of the year. Iowa’s finance and insurance sector has shed nearly 2,000 jobs in the past 12 months and the manufacturing sector, 5,400 jobs. Recent college graduates have a difficult time landing their first jobs.

Bright spots exist, though. Iowa’s labor force participation rate is increasing. Demand remains high for health care providers. Emphasis on career and technical education is increasing in Iowa’s high schools.

At our Jobs Outlook, the Business Record will be joined by a panel of leaders who will help us look at what the job market in 2026 might bring. At this event, we will also recognize the winner of our Dentons HR Professional of the Year award.

Among the questions we plan to tackle:

• The 2026 outlook for job growth in Iowa and the Midwest, including which sectors are growing and which are contracting.
• The growth in career and technical education programs in Iowa schools and how the programs are preparing young people for careers in the skilled trades and other high-demand areas.
• The availability of jobs for recent college graduates and the impact AI has had on entry-level jobs.