Wisconsin unemployment unchanged in February

Wisconsin unemployment rate unchanged at 7 percent in February

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- New figures from the state Department of Workforce Development show Wisconsin's unemployment rate remained unchanged in February.

Data the agency released Thursday show the state's unemployment rate was 7 percent, unchanged from January. The national unemployment rate for February was 7.9 percent.

The state added 8,800 government jobs last month, including 8,600 on the state level, but lost 1,000 private sector jobs.

The monthly numbers are based on a survey of only 3.5 percent of state employers and are subject to significant revision.

Gov. Scott Walker says the more reliable measure is a quarterly survey of nearly every Wisconsin business. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest quarterly survey Thursday. It showed Wisconsin ranked 44th nationwide in private-sector job creation for the year that ended in September.