Weeks after cyberattack, Iowa unemployment, job search site finally back online
Iowans receiving unemployment payments will need to resume required reports of their search for work next week after the restoration of a cyberattacked website.
Iowa Workforce Development announced in a news release Monday that users can once again access Iowaworks.gov. A vendor took down the website June 26 after noticing the attack.
Most Iowa unemployment claimants must log four "reemployment activities" a week on Iowaworks.gov to receive weekly payments. The activities range from submitting job applications to writing a resume with a career counselor.
When the vendor took down the website, Iowa Workforce Development suspended the job search requirement. The agency will resume checking claimants' activity next week, with beneficiaries filing reports of this week's job searches.
More: Iowa unemployment benefits cut by 10 weeks after Kim Reynolds signs bill
Iowa Workforce Development and the website's vendor, Florida-based Geographic Solutions, say the hackers did not obtain consumers' or users' information.
The attack came during an usually quiet period for the state's unemployment division. Since May 1, fewer than 8,000 Iowans have filed continuing unemployment claims every week. The state had never seen fewer than 8,000 continuing claims in a single week, according to U.S. Department of Labor records that date to 1987.
The low period peaked during the week that ended May 28, when 5,974 workers filed claims, according to Iowa Workforce Development.
More: Iowa unemployment improves to 2.7% in May, despite indication of job losses
The low numbers have come amid a strong market for workers. Iowa employers reported 131,000 job openings in April.
Before the pandemic, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state's record for job openings occurred in December 2018, when Iowa employers reported trying to fill 84,000 positions.
Tyler Jett covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215, or on Twitter at @LetsJett.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa unemployment, job search operating again after cyberattack
