INFLATION IS KEEPING PRICES HIGH ON ALL SORTS OF GOODS, AND A SURVEY OF BUSINESS LEADERS IN IOWA AND EIGHT OTHER MIDWESTERN STATES FINDS PRICES ROSE NEARLY SIX-PERCENT IN THE PAST YEAR.
THAT TREND MAY LESSEN BY HALF IN THE COMING MONTHS ACCORDING TO CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY ECONOMIST ERNIE GOSS
GOSSMAY1 OC……. “LOOKING AT AHEAD” :19
THE SURVEY FOUND MANY EMPLOYERS IN IOWA AND THE OTHER STATES CONTINUE HAVING TROUBLE FINDING QUALIFIED WORKERS TO FILL OPEN POSITIONS, SO THEY’RE RETAINING WORKERS, WHICH GOSS SAYS IS CREATING ANOTHER SORT OF PROBLEM.
GOSSMAY2 OC……….”THEM TO DO” :20
GOSS SAYS THE SURVEY FOUND ONLY ABOUT ONE IN SIX EMPLOYERS REPORTED JOB GAINS DURING THE PAST MONTH, ALMOST THE SAME AS DURING APRIL.
HE SAYS A COUPLE OF INDUSTRIES, IN PARTICULAR, ARE STRUGGLING.
GOSSMAY3 OC………”OFFICE SPACE”:18
THE BANKING AND FINANCE INDUSTRY IS ALSO “HAVING A TOUGH GO OF IT”, ACCORDING TO GOSS, WITH SHORT-TERM INTEREST RATES VERY HIGH COMPARED TO LONG-TERM RATES.
ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT IN IOWA EXPANDED BY 1.9% OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS, WHILE MANUFACTURING HOURLY WAGES CLIMBED BY 6.9% OVER THE SAME PERIOD.
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