Wis. led nation in job losses year-to-year

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WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Wisconsin is the only state where a "statistically significant" number of jobs were lost during the most recent 12-month reporting period, U.S. officials said.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wisconsin lost 23,900 jobs from March 2011 to March 2012, the largest decrease in the country as a percentage of overall employment. However, the state was also one of 18 states to record a statistically significant reduction in its unemployment rate during the same period -- from 7.6 percent to 6.8 percent -- the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The lower unemployment rate reflects, in part, a decline in the number of people active in the job market, the report said.

Public sector jobs losses outnumbered private sector losses, 17,800 to 6,100, during the 12-month period.