Category: 3. Business

Iowa Workforce Development Communications
For Immediate Release
Date: January 7, 2026
Contact: Jesse Dougherty
Telephone: 515-725-5487
Email: communications@iwd.iowa.gov

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Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Decreases to 3.5 Percent In November

Labor Force Participation Rate Holds Steady at 67.5 Percent

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in November – up from 3.3 percent one year ago but down from 3.7 percent in September. There is no October rate due to the government shutdown. The labor force participation rate was 67.5 percent in November, equaling the September rate and 0.6 percentage points higher than the November 2024 rate of 66.9 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent in November.

The total number of unemployed Iowans increased by 5,100 compared to November 2024.

The total number of working Iowans was 1,683,000 in November. This figure is 22,400 higher than one year ago. Iowa’s labor force saw an increase of 27,500 individuals compared to November 2024.

“November’s report is an indication that the increase we’ve seen over the last few months in labor force participation is translating to more people working,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Led by gains in health services, wholesale trade, and construction, Iowa saw strong hiring nearly across the board in November and ended with 9,000 more jobs than the year before – a trend we hope continues in future reports.”

Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment

Iowa establishments added 4,600 jobs in November, raising total nonfarm employment to 1,599,800. This increase is significant, particularly when compared to the previous 10-year average October-to-November change of -130 jobs. Gains this month were fueled by multiple industries with educational and health services and trade, transportation and warehousing gaining a slight edge, adding 1,100 and 1,000 jobs, respectively. Additionally, construction fared well in November, gaining 900 jobs, partially attributable to the milder late fall weather.

Within private industries, employment gains in health services (+900), wholesale trade (+800) and the previously mentioned gains in construction represented the bulk of the statewide increase. Professional and business services added jobs as a result of gains in administrative and support services (+1,000) partially offset by a small loss in professional, scientific and technical services (-200). Government pared 200 jobs.

Over the past 12 months, total nonfarm employment is up 9,000 jobs. Private industry overall is up 7,400 jobs since last November. Construction (+8,100) and private education and health services (+5,800) experienced the greatest gains. The bulk of the change in private education and health services was attributable to increased employment in health care and social assistance (+4,300). Retail trade contributed to the gains with an additional 3,400 jobs. Professional and business services has trimmed jobs from one year ago (-3,400). Other industries paring jobs include: leisure and hospitality (-3,200), financial activities (-1,600) and manufacturing (-1,000). This loss is due to cutbacks at durable goods factories (-2,300).

Employment and Unemployment in Iowa, Seasonally Adjusted Data
				Change from
	November	October	November	October	November
	2025	2025	2024	2025	2024
Civilian labor force	1,744,700	–	1,717,200	–	27,500
Unemployment	61,700	–	56,600	–	5,100
Unemployment rate	3.5%	–	3.3%	–	0.2
Employment	1,683,000	–	1,660,600	–	22,400
Labor Force Participation Rate	67.5%	–	66.9%	–	0.6
				–
U.S. unemployment rate	4.6%	–	4.2%	–	0.4
Nonfarm Employment in Iowa, Seasonally Adjusted Data
Total Nonfarm Employment	1,599,800	1,595,200	1,590,800	4,600	9,000
Mining	2,100	2,100	2,200	0	-100
Construction	90,200	89,300	82,100	900	8,100
Manufacturing	217,600	217,200	218,600	400	-1,000
Trade, transportation and utilities	312,000	311,000	310,600	1,000	1,400
Information	18,100	17,900	17,800	200	300
Financial activities	104,000	103,900	105,600	100	-1,600
Professional and business services	141,600	140,800	145,000	800	-3,400
Education and health services (private)	247,500	246,400	241,700	1,100	5,800
Leisure and hospitality	140,000	139,600	143,200	400	-3,200
Other services	57,000	57,100	55,900	-100	1,100
Government*	269,700	269,900	268,100	-200	1,600
*Includes publicly owned education and health services
Data Above Subject to Revision

Unemployment Insurance Claims for Iowa
				% Change from
	November	October	November	October	November
	2025	2025	2024	2025	2024
Initial claims	9,148	7,435	11,841	23.0%	-22.7%
Continued claims
Benefit recipients	9,669	9,527	14,109	1.5%	-31.5%
Weeks paid	26,002	27,593	35,763	-5.8%	-27.3%
Amount paid	$13,804,346	$14,800,212	$19,211,660	-6.7%	-28.1%

MEDIA ALERT: Local data for November 2025 will be posted to the IWD website on Thursday, January 15, 2026.

Visit iowalmi.gov for more information about current and historical data, labor force data, nonfarm employment, hours and earnings, and jobless benefits by county.

*October 2025 labor force data is not available due to the absence of data collection due to the federal government shutdown.

TORONTO, January 7, 2026 – Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI), a global content and technology company, and the Center on Ethics and the Legal Profession at Georgetown Law, today released its 2026 Report on the State of the US Legal Market. The annual report states that the legal industry is experiencing a tectonic shift that has helped many law firms thrive during this transformative era, driving unprecedented demand growth and profits per lawyer of Am Law 100 firms increasing 53.7% since 2019.

“Law firms are facing a fundamental shift in the legal industry’s economic landscape, standing at a critical inflection point where they must navigate evolving client demands, rising expenses and a necessary transformation of their operating models,” said Raghu Ramanathan, president, Legal Professionals, Thomson Reuters. “The shifting landscape will unlock further demand and lead certain law firms to becoming fully tech-centric employing tech-pricing structures, as other law firms move towards being an elite, partner-heavy boutique dedicated to delivering highly specialized and bespoke legal counsel. The question isn’t whether traditional operating models can survive but whether law firms are committed to truly transform.”

Forces driving the impact include shifting client power, economic instability and technological disruption. However, peaks are sustained only when the foundational forces supporting the operating model remain in alignment. “What makes this moment particularly treacherous is that the very forces creating today’s peaks are simultaneously undermining the ground beneath them,” the report notes.

Throughout 2025, evolving client expectations, regulatory changes, economic fluctuations, and technological advancements drove a surge in demand with law firms averaging 2.5% growth for the year and hitting a high of 4.4% in July. These banner results came despite being measured against 2024’s record-breaking performance.

Lurking behind the historic demand growth is an arms race for technology and talent. The average law firm increased its investment in technology by 9.7%, and it is more than just traditional or routine upgrades; it is a transformational shift leveraging GenAI to improve efficiency, drive value and serve clients at a higher level. The 2025 Future of Professionals report indicates that law firms with a formal AI strategy are 3.9 times more likely to experience critical benefits compared to those without significant plans for AI adoption.

Additionally, law firms are devoting significant resources securing top talent with direct spending on lawyer compensation jumping 8.2%. The report notes, “this isn’t targeted spending on a few rainmakers or strategic lateral hires, rather it’s broad-based compensation growth across every level.”

The forces that have led to this peak were not necessarily the results of law firms’ actions, yet firms should not allow these forces outside of their control to be an excuse for inaction. Elements such as rate strategies, talent management, capitalizing on or mitigating mobile demand, and developing effective technology deployment strategies remain within the purview of firm leadership and require proactive management.

From here, the question is not “how much technology” but “how integrated and adopted” technology becomes in the hands of lawyers. As the report shows, the path forward for law firms requires three transformational shifts:

• Modernizing pricing models that no longer match how legal work is done;
• Strengthening client trust in an environment in which legal buyers are increasingly selective; and
• Deploying technology in ways that deliver measurable value rather than marketing gloss.

Ramanathan added: “The law firms that will define the next era of legal services will be determined not by how much they invest in technology and talent, but by how boldly they reimagine their entire operating model. The winners won’t necessarily be determined by size or legacy, but they’ll be the firms that act decisively now to align with the future their clients are already demanding.”

Download the 2026 Report on the State of the US Legal Market here.

The report utilizes data sourced from Thomson Reuters Institute Strategic Insights, with financial data from Financial Insights and legal buyer sentiment from Market Insights.

Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters (Nasdaq/TSX: TRI) informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. The company serves professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Its products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news. For more information, visit tr.com.

Contacts
Jeff McCoy
+1.763.326.4421
jeffrey.mccoy@tr.com

INDIANAPOLIS AND LONDON (January 7, 2026) – Corteva Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) and bp (NYSE: BP, LSE: BP.L) today announced the launch of Etlas, their new 50:50 joint venture that will produce oil from crops – including canola, mustard and sunflower – for use in the production of biofuels like sustainable (or synthetic) aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD). Etlas will harness both Corteva’s century-long expertise in seed technology to develop crops ideally suited to produce SAF and RD as well as bp’s expertise in refining and marketing fuel for the commercial transportation market.

Etlas aims to produce one million metric tonnes of feedstock per year by the mid-2030s, which could produce over 800 thousand tonnes of biofuel. Initial supply is scheduled to begin in 2027 for use in co-processing at refineries as well as at dedicated biofuels plants.

Leading industry estimates have global demand for SAF growing to as much as 10 million tonnes by 2030¹ — from about 1 million tonnes in 2024, while global demand for RD could rise to as much as 35 million tonnes by 2030² from approximately 17 million tonnes in 2024. Etlas is designed to provide a reliable, scalable supply of feedstock to help meet this expected demand.

 

 

The feedstock Etlas uses will be harvested from crops that are grown on existing cropland, between main food cropping seasons.  Such intermediate crops can help improve soil health while providing farmers with a new revenue stream. As they use existing cropland during times when it has previously been unproductive like a fallow or cover period, they also do not lead to additional demand for land.

 

Judd O’Connor, executive vice president of Corteva’s seed business unit added: “By helping found Etlas, Corteva continues to deliver on two critical parts of our mission: to help fuel the world and to support farmers. Agriculture is part of the solution, and we are excited to see Etlas come to life.”

Philipp Schoelzel, senior vice president, biofuels growth, bp added: “This capital light joint venture creates optionality in our biofuels value chain, strengthening our position and helping deliver attractive returns. We’re excited to collaborate with Corteva to deliver what our customers want.”

Ignacio Conti, Global Business Development Director at Corteva will be the new Etlas Chief Executive Officer and Gaurav Sonar, vice president, Novel Feedstocks at bp will become its Chair of the Board of Directors.

 

“As the aviation industry looks for reliable, sustainable and cost-competitive sources of SAF, it is clear farmers have a critical role to play,” said Etlas CEO, Ignacio Conti. “Etlas brings together global leaders in agriculture innovation and energy production to harness this demand by leveraging technological expertise and trusted relationships with farmers around the world to help scale production and boost supply while offering farmers new revenue streams.”

PARIS – Snow, ice and high winds brought transport chaos to swathes of Europe for a third day on Jan 7, with hundreds of flights cancelled and passengers stranded.

Airports in Paris and Amsterdam were the worst affected, with the Dutch authorities saying more than 1,000 travellers had been forced to spend the night at Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest hubs.

Six people have died in weather-related accidents

as the continent reels from the most bitter cold snap of the winter so far.

Five of those deaths were confirmed in France on Jan 6, while a woman died in Bosnia as heavy snow and rain sparked floods and power outages across the Balkans.

For those without homes and sleeping on the streets, the cold snap has come as a huge shock.

Mr Boubacar Camara, from Guinea, told AFP news agency he had “no choice but to keep on going”.

“You just have to stay strong, make sure you don’t die, you know,” said the 19-year-old, who is sleeping in a tent in the French capital.

“We can’t do anything about the cold – I’m not used to this at all.”

More than 100 flights were cancelled on Jan 7 at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and 40 more at the French capital’s other main hub, Orly.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot told local media he was “hoping the situation returns to normal this afternoon”.

All public bus services in Paris and the surrounding suburbs were also suspended because of icy roads, with almost half of the country’s mainland on alert for heavy snow and black ice.

Schiphol Airport said more than 700 flights had been cancelled so far and warned that the number was likely to increase.

Belgium’s biggest hub, Brussels Airport, also confirmed 40 flight cancellations on Jan 7.

Britain saw temperatures plunging, with hundreds of schools shutting their doors for a third day in Scotland, where the authorities warned some rural communities could be “cut off” by snow.

The Eurostar rail service connecting London with continental European cities was also disrupted again on Jan 7, with passengers facing cancellations and delays.

Nordic countries were also facing snow-related chaos, with officials in eastern Sweden warning that power cuts were “likely” because of heavy snowfall.

Trams were suspended in the western city of Gothenburg, and the authorities in the wider region warned people not to drive and stay at home if possible.

In Denmark, the authorities in the far-north region of North Jutland warned people to brace themselves for heavy snow but said the situation was under control.

“For now, calm prevails in North Jutland, but we are taking the weather forecast very seriously,” the police wrote in a statement.

“We also urge citizens to prepare and keep safety advice in mind, especially if they have to travel in difficult traffic conditions.” AFP

EuropeExtreme weatherTransportationDisruption

Homes England has appointed John Reid as Executive Director for Technical Capacity and Coordination, a pivotal role within the agency’s new operating model.  

This follows the recent announcement of five executive regional directors to the new model, which will take effect in April 2026 and is designed to best respond to the needs of local communities. 

John will lead a nationally managed technical capacity and coordination hub, which will provide specialist expertise that can be deployed flexibly throughout the development process, helping to boost delivery across the five regions of England set out in the agency’s new operating model. 

John is a senior property and regeneration leader with extensive experience of delivering complex, high-value programmes and housing initiatives at scale across the public and private sectors.  He joins the Agency from Herts Living, where he is Managing Director. Prior to this he was Director of the Estate Development Programme at The Grosvenor Estate. 

His appointment is the latest progress milestone for the agency as it mobilises its new strategic plan and moves to its new regionally-focused operating model.  

It follows publication of the Strategic Plan 2025-30 alongside an Investment Roadmap, preceding an Investment Prospectus in early 2026, and the appointment of five executive regional directors who will strengthen collaboration with mayors, local leaders and partners. 

Regional teams will work hand-in-hand with national programmes and the hub to make it easier for partners to engage and deliver homes and places communities need. 

John said:

I’m delighted to be joining Homes England’s Executive Team at such an exciting moment for the organisation. I look forward to bringing my public–private sector and major programme experience to help shape the new operating model and to drive the partnerships and places that communities across the country want and deserve.

Amy Rees CB, Chief Executive of Homes England, said:  

I am excited to welcome John to our team as we embark on what will be a sea-change year for the agency, building on the successes of recent years as we actively reshape how we work to meet the evolving priorities of people and communities across the country. 

Together with local leaders, partners and communities, our colleagues are focused on mobilising our new regional operating model to best effect, alongside major national programmes including the National Housing Bank (NHB), National Housing Delivery Fund (NHDF) and Social and Affordable Housing Programme. This focus is driven by a shared dedication and passion to help ensure everyone can live in a thriving place that they are proud to call home.

ENDS 

Notes to editors  

• Homes England is the government’s housing and regeneration agency, and we’re here to drive the creation of more affordable, quality homes and thriving places so that everyone has a place to live and grow.  We make this happen by working in partnership with thousands of organisations of all sizes, using our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more quality homes built.  View our explainer animation 

• John Reid is a senior property and regeneration leader with extensive experience of delivering complex, high-value programmes and housing initiatives at scale across the public and private sectors. He joins the Agency from Herts Living, a local authority company driving residential development through self-delivery and joint venture work, where he is Managing Director. 

• Previously he has held senior leadership positions at a number of organisations during his career, including at The Grosvenor Estate, where he was Director of the Estate Development Programme. Prior to his role at Herts Living he was Development Director of Meridian Water Regeneration and Head of Capital Delivery at the London Borough of Croydon. 

• John is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and a Trustee of North London Hospice. He is former Chair of the British Property Federation Construction Committee and founding board member of the Housing Development Network. 

• Read about the new executive regional directors 

• Read the Strategic Plan 2025 – 2035 

• Learn more about the Agency’s Strategic Place Partnerships (SPPs) 

• For media enquiries please contact: media@homesengland.gov.uk  or 0207 874 826

Fórsa warns driver testers at risk as Road Safety Authority fails to provide insurance verification system

Fórsa trade union members working as driver testers in the Road Safety Authority (RSA) have voted in favour of taking industrial action, with 95% voting in favour with a turnout of 83%.

The issue concerns the employer’s failure to ensure that driver testers are fully and unconditionally covered by the State Claims Agency while carrying out their duties.

In addition, the insurance verification system leaves driver testers at risk when carrying out their work. At present there is no way to verify whether vehicles presented for driving tests are fully insured, and therefore driver testers are may not be fully indemnified.

The union said the absence of a proper insurance verification system, combined with inadequate indemnity protections, has left staff exposed and under pressure to proceed with tests in circumstances that would be unacceptable in any other area of public service.

Engagement at the WRC will take place on Tuesday 20th January, following a joint referral made by the parties in December.

Fórsa official Ruairí Creaney said: “The ballot result demonstrates that members want this issue resolved once and for all. We will raise their concerns at the WRC later this month and from there we will determine the next steps.”

He continued: “What’s for certain is that the current situation cannot continue. Driver testers cannot be expected to get into vehicles to do their jobs when they have no clarity on whether the vehicle is uninsured. We need a straightforward guarantee of indemnity for driver testers, and a proper insurance verification system. Access to the National Insurance Database can be addressed by the Minister for Transport and we’re calling on him to look at this issue urgently.”

Philip Lambert, Fórsa branch chairperson and a driver tester in Dún Laoghaire, added: “Workers should be protected at work, not put in harm’s way. It’s simply unacceptable that we would be expected to ‘prove negligence’ in the event of an accident at work in order to be protected. Everyone deserves to be able to do their job with safety and confidence.”

A memo issued by RSA management to driver testers in December confirmed that staff are not automatically covered by the State Claims Agency if they conduct a test in a vehicle that is not properly insured. Instead, the memo stated that a driver tester would only be covered “in circumstances where he/she could prove negligence on the part of the RSA”, which driver testers regard as a serious and ongoing risk. Fórsa has said management has acknowledged the legitimacy of driver tester concerns but has yet to act.