Holding steady: Wisconsin unemployment rate remains 4.6 percent

MADISON — Wisconsin's unemployment rate for July is 4.6 percent, unchanged from June.

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reports Thursday that the state added 8,200 private sector jobs over the month.

The state's unemployment rate continues to be lower than the national average, which was 5.3 percent in July.

The state data is based on a survey of 3.5 percent of Wisconsin employers. The numbers tend to fluctuate more than quarterly employment data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Walker's administration on Wednesday said the latest quarterly data, covering the 12-month period ending in March, Wisconsin added just shy of 40,000 private-sector jobs.

Those numbers can't be compared to national job growth or increases in other states until the BLS releases its nationwide report next month.