Iowa Workforce

Iowa Fills the Skills Gap

Iowa Fills the Skills Gap

Iowa doesn’t just talk about America’s skills gap, its workforce rolls up their sleeves and fills it. How? Iowa has ramped up its STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education in public schools and made it easier for businesses to collaborate with students. The state has also increased its focus on technical trade skills at its network of community colleges—where curriculum aligns with the needs of business.

At Iowa's research-focused universities the next wave of biomedical engineers and data analysts are ready to compete in the global economy, as advanced technologies are commercialized for the private sector. Iowa fills the gap with smart, educated and efficient workers.

#2

CEOs rank Iowa's worker quality

Chief Executive, 2017
61.6%

of Iowans have completed education or training beyond high school

U.S. Census Bureau, 2019
1.66M

Iowa's labor force participation rate is one of the largest in the country

Become a designated Iowa Best Place for Working Parents

Iowans Are Loyal

The average Iowan stays with an employer for 12 years - three times the national average.

Specialized Employment Concentrations

Location Quotients

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics, 2017

IOWA'S UNIVERSITIES ARE RESEARCH POWERHOUSES

Two Iowa universities are members of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the top 62 private and public research universities in the U.S. and Canada. Iowa is one of only seven states with more than one public university in this prestigious body.

Iowa Labor Force

Laborshed Studies

A flexible tool for understanding the workforce characteristics of the local labor market.

;