DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A group has been formed to improve Iowa’s minority unemployment rates over the next few years.
Iowa Workforce Development announced Monday that a subcommittee, under the State Workforce Development Board, will try to reduce unemployment in minority communities over the next five years. The goal is either a reduction of 5 percentage points or to the state unemployment average.
Census data show Iowa’s overall unemployment rate is below 4 percent. It’s 14.2 percent for African Americans and 8.1 percent for Hispanics. Native Americans and Asian Americans also have unemployment rates above the state’s overall rate.
The subcommittee will hold listening tours this spring as part of its effort to better match minority communities with existing job training programs and employment opportunities. There is no state funding tied to the initiative.
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