IowaWORKS Creston to close at the end of 2025

Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the physical IowaWORKS location in Creston will close at the end of the year due to sustained low customer traffic. Despite the closure, Creston-area job seekers will continue to have multiple options for accessing IowaWORKS services in 2026 – including a partner location at Southwestern Community College, other IowaWORKS locations in central and Southwest Iowa or through many of the IowaWORKS services offered virtually.

IowaWORKS staff also will continue to have a regular presence in Creston and surrounding areas to provide efficient and effective services. Career planner staff will be available two days each week at the existing Vocational Rehabilitation office at SWCC, 1501 W. Townline St., to support any individuals with unemployment claims or job search activities. Staff also will make regular visits to meet customers at the public libraries in Clarke, Adair and Decatur counties and at SWCC in Red Oak.

Meanwhile, individuals with disabilities will continue to receive services from the same VR Creston location as they do today.

Remaining Creston staff not involved in the activities described above have been offered the chance to continue work from other IowaWORKS offices in central and western Iowa.

The decision to close IowaWORKS Creston follows a comprehensive review of customer data and operations costs. For two consecutive years, the Creston office averaged fewer than 10 customers a day or 50 customers per week, accounting for less than 1% of the overall traffic at 18 IowaWORKS locations (of varying sizes) across the state. Last fiscal year, the IowaWORKS system as a whole averaged nearly 14,770 customers per location, with Creston visited by 2,348 people.

To assist Creston job seekers with workshops and job fairs, the IowaWORKS Mobile Workforce Center will have an expanded presence in the area in the coming months. Additional outreach plans will be announced in the weeks ahead. IowaWORKS also will continue to operate 17 other physical offices across the state.

“While the continued low foot traffic does not justify the cost of a brick-and-mortar office in Creston, our commitment to area workforce services will absolutely remain next year and beyond,” Beth Townsend, executive director of Iowa Workforce Development, said. “We will continue to have staff in the area who are able to support individual appointments, and we encourage job seekers to also consider the many ways that services can be received through non-traditional means, which continue to make up a larger share of IowaWORKS services.”

Options for Workforce Services

Creston Workforce VR Service Unit 1501 W. Townline St., Creston. (Additional details on local staff will be announced later this year)

IowaWORKS Offices (Virtual appointments for any office can be made online)

IowaWORKS Des Moines, 200 Army Post Rd. Des Moines

IowaWORKS Des Moines River Park, 525 SW Fifth St. Suite A, Des Moines

IowaWORKS Council Bluffs, 300 W. Broadway, Suite 13 Council Bluffs

Other Virtual Services IowaWORKS virtual workshops are available to help job seekers with resume and interview tips, financial literacy, career planning and more. Job seekers can register for an account on IowaWORKS.gov or connect with a local office to learn more.