Statewide Iowa — The rules for collecting unemployment in Iowa changed this month, going from 26 weeks to 16 weeks before the unemployment benefits end.
Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend says it’s too early to know if that has had an impact yet.
The June unemployment rate fell to the level we saw before the pandemic hit. Critics say cutting back the time benefits are paid will hurt some Iowans. Townsend doesn’t agree.
She says it’s unusual for those workers to need 16 weeks of unemployment and they are not the target of the change.
Townsend says with the number of jobs available and IWD’s return to work focus, this should not be a big deal for many job seekers.
One of the twists in the downturn of the economy is many people who retired are coming back into the workforce. Townsend says it’s hard to say how long these workers will stay before going back into retirement.
She says each person will have to decide how much longer they have to work to make up the economic losses.
Townsend says the job market right now favors retirees and others when it comes to job options.
Townsend encourages anyone looking for work, retirees or otherwise, to contact the Iowa Workforce Development to get help finding the best job that fits their needs.
