DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.3 percent in January as Iowa employers added nearly 10,000 jobs. Iowa Workforce Development announced Monday that the rate dropped from 3.5 percent in December and was down from 3.8 percent a year ago. The national rate rose to 4.8 percent in January.

Agency director Beth Townsend says employers in the state added 9,900 jobs, with hiring especially strong in professional and business services. The number of unemployed resident dropped from 59,000 in December to 56,600 in January.