The Department of Workforce Development announced Thursday that state unemployment numbers continued to rise throughout February.

Wisconsin’s February unemployment rate was 8.8 percent, up 1.1 percent from January’s rate of 7.7 percent. February’s rate was 3.7 percentage points higher than the same time last year.

Although Wisconsin’s rate continued to climb, the state managed to stay below the national unemployment rate of 8.9 percent, according to a DWD statement.

The seasonally adjusted Wisconsin unemployment rate for February, which takes into account seasonal variations in employment due to things like weather, was 7.7 percent, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from January and 3.2 percentage points from February 2008.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted rate for February was 8.1 percent, the statement added.

“We’re still half a percentage point below the U.S. average… it took us sometime to be affected by the economic downturn,” said Dennis Winters, a DWD economist. “This is just a little catch-up.”

The DWD expects March unemployment to continue to rise, but Winters said even if the rates go up, the state could still experience economic growth.

Unemployment rates are usually one of the last indicators of the state’s economic health, Winters said, since the rate is not likely to improve until after the state’s economy grows.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle as well as Gov. Jim Doyle are working to bring down the state’s unemployment numbers.

“If we want to stimulate our economy, we should encourage our businesses to expand and grow,” said Kimberly Liedl, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau. “The governor’s budget increases taxes on employers and families… making it more difficult for businesses to grow.”

Senate Majority Leader Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna, said the numbers reaffirm the state’s tough economic time.

“It’s further evidence why we must continue to work on job creation, workforce development and economic development throughout this session,” Nelson said.

To foster job creation throughout the state, the governor recently gave nine local Workforce Development Boards a total of $1.8 million in grants from the federal dislocated worker funds to expand re-employment and re-training services to laid-off workers from counties around Wisconsin, according to a Doyle statement.

The grants will assist more than 4,000 workers who have been laid off by 37 different companies. The grants are in addition to the $4.1 million Workforce Development Boards have received since July 1.

Workers from companies like Marinette Marine, Midwest Airlines and Circuit City will benefit from the grants, the statement said.

Grant recipients include workforce development areas in Southeastern Wisconsin, the Fox Valley, the Bay Area, North Central Wisconsin, West Central Wisconsin, Western Wisconsin, and Southwestern Wisconsin; as well as Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties.

A total of 227,700 individuals are unemployed in Wisconsin, down 4,500 from January and 65,200 during February 2008.

Non-farm jobs declined by 89,600 and good producers lost 52,800 jobs, mostly in manufacturing jobs, which fell 40,500. Jobs in the service sector fell by 36,800, with the professional and business services jobs falling by 26,600, the DWD statement said.