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June unemployment figures released by the Iowa Workforce Development show a small increase in claims for the first time in three months.  The current rate in the County is four point three percent, up a third of a percent from May.  Washington County has a little less than 12,000 people in the workforce, down 400 from last month.  Across all of southeast Iowa, unemployment rates increased an average of one and two-thirds of a percent.

The highest increase of a half percent was seen in Johnson County while Louisa County’s rate remained the same.  By comparison, the lowest unemployment rate in Iowa is still northwest Iowa’s Lyon County with two point eight percent and Webster, Hamilton and Lee Counties have the highest unemployment rate of seven point five percent.

Iowa’s unemployment still remains three percentage points lower than the nation figure at five point two percent.