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Wisconsin is the only state in the nation that had "statistically significant" job losses over the past 12 months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The state lost 23,900 jobs from March 2011 to March 2012.

The majority - 17,800 - were government jobs. But Wisconsin also lost more private-sector jobs - 6,100 - than any other state over those same 12 months, the government data shows.

Democrats have seized on GOP Gov. Scott Walker's job creation record as a central campaign theme in the June 5 recall election.

"Walker's jobs record is a total failure, and this is what happens when you pursue ideology instead of focusing on jobs," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who is competing for the Democratic nomination against Walker.

"Every report card that comes in for Gov. Walker shows he's failing Wisconsin," said Kathleen Falk, the other leading Democratic challenger.

The Walker administration downplayed the jobs numbers, saying other economic indicators such as the state's falling unemployment rate tell a positive story about Wisconsin's economy.

"As we continue to move forward, we will see improvement in the numbers," Department of Workforce Development secretary Reggie Newson said.

"There are a lot of other indicators that we see that show the governor's policies are working," said Newson, citing the jobless rate and business surveys projecting more hiring in 2012.

The state unemployment rate is at its lowest since 2008, and DWD spokesman John Dipko called the separate data on job losses an outlier among good economic news.

But Democrats noted that it was Walker himself who campaigned in 2010 on a pledge to add 250,000 private-sector jobs in his first term. (Wisconsin has added 5,900 private-sector jobs since he took office.)

"That's the benchmark he set for himself," Barrett campaign spokesman Phil Walzak said of the jobs data.

With the June 5 election only six weeks away, Walker and his opponents are telling dramatically different stories about the state's economic performance under his stewardship. A Walker campaign ad touts the drop in the unemployment rate and the addition of more than 17,000 jobs in January and February. "We're turning things around," the ad says.

A new ad aired by the liberal Greater Wisconsin Political Fund attacks Walker's jobs record, citing the fact that no state lost more total jobs (public and private combined) than Wisconsin in 2011.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 28 states had statistically significant changes in employment over the past 12 months - and Wisconsin was the only one of those that saw a decrease in total non-farm jobs, which includes both the public and private sector.

The 23,900 jobs lost in Wisconsin was tops among the 50 states; no other state lost more than 3,500.

Taking just private-sector employment - the economic indicator that Walker stressed in his 2010 campaign - Wisconsin has lost 6,100 jobs in the past 12 months, which is also the most of any state. Only two other states lost private-sector jobs over those same 12 months: Mississippi and Rhode Island.

The jobs numbers have provided fodder for both sides in recent months. January and February were the best back-to-back months of Walker's tenure for private-sector jobs (up almost 20,000), but the preliminary numbers for March showed a loss of 4,300 jobs.

Separate government data show that Wisconsin was one of 18 states that had a statistically significant drop in the unemployment rate during the same March 2011 to March 2012 time frame, from 7.6% to 6.8%.

The governor has put this statistic as the center of his economic message. While it seems contradictory, Wisconsin has experienced both job declines and a drop in unemployment at various times over the past year or more. One explanation is that the two indicators come from different surveys. Another is that the unemployment rate can drop even when the total number of jobs is flat or declining - if there's also a decline in the size of the workforce or the number of people looking for work. Economists say those factors explain a significant part of the drop in Wisconsin's unemployment rate.

There will be one more set of monthly jobs numbers released before the June 5 recall election. The figures for April will be released in the third week of May.

John Schmid of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.