Wisconsin’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.2% in February, even as the state lost 2,900 private sector jobs during the month, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The two measures come from separate surveys. The unemployment rate comes from a survey of households while job figures come from a survey of employers.
Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate declined one-tenth of a point to 65.8%, continuing to outpace the national rate of 62.4%. The national unemployment rate was 4.1% in February.
Private sector employment in Wisconsin for the month came in at 2,626,100, a 0.11% drop from January. Compared to a year earlier, the number of jobs in the state was up 6,100, an increase of 0.23%.
In goods-producing sectors in Wisconsin, employment was down 3,700 in February. The construction sector in the state lost 2,000 jobs and durable goods manufacturing was down 1,400.
In service sectors, overall employment was up by 800 in the state. Health care and social assistance added 2,000 jobs while accommodation and food services employment dropped by 2,600 and retail trade lost 1,400. Professional and business services added 900 jobs in Wisconsin.
