Wisconsin’s unemployment rate dropped from February to March, according to data released today from the Department of Workforce Development Thursday. The state lost 4,300 private-sector jobs in March.
Despite the job loss, Gov. Scott Walker said March’s drop in unemployment indicates progress.
“Wisconsin’s economy is turning around, but there is still a lot of work to do,” said Chris Schrimpf, Walker’s communications director, adding that the state has added more than 15,000 private-sector jobs since the start of the year.
In the public sector, data released by the state Department of Public Instruction Wednesday reported layoffs in education, as public school districts lost 2,312 full-time positions from the previous school year.
“This jobs report is more evidence that Wisconsin continues to head in the wrong direction under Gov. Walker,” Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said in a statement.
“All our workers … deserve elected officials who are working for them – not devoting their time to an extreme agenda that does nothing to create jobs,” Barca said.
Wisconsin’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 6.8 percent remains lower than March’s 8.2 percent national rate, as well as those of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
The information for the state unemployment rate was drawn from a small sample size comprised of unemployment insurance claimants and 1,400 surveyed households.
As the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ data is preliminary, it will continue to be reviewed in the upcoming weeks.
Walker, who campaigned for governor in 2010 on a promise to create 250,000 jobs by 2015, is facing a recall election in June. The state’s economy and job creation is expected to be a major campaign issue.
