As part of the Future Ready Iowa Summit in Pella Monday, Iowa Workforce Development shared key details about the local workforce.

Marion County falls in the south central Iowa region as part of the initiative. Future Ready Iowa has a statewide goal of having 70% of Iowa’s workforce attain some level of education or training beyond high school. Sixty percent, or 216,200 in the area, have obtained experience beyond a K-12 diploma. Iowa has the second lowest unemployment in the nation, at 2.5%, and south central Iowa stands at 2.3%. Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend tells KNIA/KRLS News the struggle for most employers in the state is filling their vacancies as they try to grow. Among the highest demand occupations are registered nurses, computer systems analysts, and programmers, and in long-term projections, tractor-trailer drivers, nurses, teachers, and production workers will be the biggest need by 2024.