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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- The unemployment numbers for Iowa were released Wednesday by Iowa Workforce Development. There is good news and bad news within the report. The good news is that as a whole, Iowa’s unemployment rate is ticking downward, but the bad news is that in southeast Iowa, the numbers rose.

For the month of December, Wapello County’s unemployment numbers rose from 6.8% to 7.4%.  In Appanoose County, the rate rose from 6.3% to 7.4%. Other counties throughout southeast Iowa also rose, but not as dramatic as Wapello and Appanoose.

KTVO spoke with Ottumwa City Administrator Joe Helfenberger about the numbers. Helfenberger says that the city and county are working together to help bring more jobs and industry to the City of Bridges.

“I think we are putting tools in place to make Ottumwa and Wapello County marketable for businesses and we have a lot of participating by industry more than ever in the Ottumwa Economic Development Corporation meetings on a monthly basis. These meetings are packed with agenda items and I see the community making leaps and being able to be even more geared toward industry and business for the future,” said Helfenberger.

It should be noted that one southeast Iowa county, Lee County, has one of the highest unemployment rates within the state. Lee County’s unemployment rate is currently 9.1%. That rate can be attributed to the manufacturing jobs that have left the county over the last few years.