DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 2.7% in December. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday the unemployment rate rose as both the number of people with and without jobs increased in the state. The December rate was up from a 2.6% in November and 2.4% a year ago. Iowa’s unemployment rate tied with Alabama for the nation’s ninth-lowest. The national unemployment rate in December was 3.5%.