Governor Branstad's budget cuts will affect the Decorah office of Iowa Workforce

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has cut 42 jobs at Iowa Workforce centers throughout the state, including one job at the Decorah office.

The cutbacks include three positions eliminated in Region 1, which includes Decorah and Dubuque.  The Decorah Workforce Office, which provides job placement assistance for local citizens looking for work as well as finding skilled workers for local businesses, serves over 1,000 annually and currently has a staff of five.

"With Iowa facing a worker shortage and employers looking for skilled workers, this is a step backwards in efforts to build our skilled workforce," said State Assemblyman Roger Thomas of Elkader.  "The workforce center in Decorah plays a critical role in helping the unemployed and under-skilled workers find a good job right here in our local communities," added Thomas.