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Unemployment Rate Remains 6.8 percent

The state’s unemployment rate was unchanged in July. But Gov. Walker’s administration sees signs of improvement, using a different metric.

The Department of Workforce Development released figures on Thursday, saying the state added more than 24,000 private sector jobs between March of 2012 and March of 2013.

The numbers are based on quarterly data, released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Walker prefers the quarterly measurements to monthly figures, because the quarterly data are based on a survey of most Wisconsin employers. The monthly numbers are based on a survey of less than 4 percent of employers.

DWD Secretary Reggie Newson says the jobs tallied in the quarterly figures are “good news for Wisconsin’s working families.”

The monthly numbers show the state’s unemployment rate in July was 6.8 percent, the same as June. That compares to a national rate of 7.4 percent.

Ann-Elise is WUWM's news director.