DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in October to 4.1 percent but an official warns the decline could be temporary. Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend says the unemployment rate drop announced Friday came despite layoffs in construction and manufacturing companies. She says that could make the decline “only a temporary reprieve.”

Townsend notes, however, that Iowa has jobs available so those affected by layoffs should be able to find other work. During October, the number of unemployed residents dropped to 70,300. The total number of Iowa workers climbed to 1,655,200. Iowa’s unemployment rate compares to a national rate of 4.9 percent. A year ago, Iowa’s unemployment rate was 3.5 percent.