Topeka ? Unemployment across the state dropped slightly in March, and it even improved in Doniphan County, where the jobless rate has been the state’s highest.

But the Department of Human Resources reported Tuesday that seasonal trends were largely responsible for the state’s figure declining to 4.6 percent, from 4.7 percent in February. The seasonally adjusted national rate was 5.7 percent.

And the state’s improvement was of little comfort for Doniphan County, where the jobless rate still was 12.5 percent down from February’s figure of 13.5 percent.

Unemployment in Kansas remained higher than it was last year. The rate for March 2001 was 4.3 percent.

Statewide, spring weather and the start of outdoor construction projects helped to improve the picture, as it typically does. The jobless rate has dropped or remained unchanged from February every year since 1983.

The department said Kansas’ non-farm payroll grew by 12,400 jobs in March as outdoor work began to ramp up. Government posted the biggest gains, adding 5,500 jobs, primarily in work on new school additions and outdoor maintenance.

Total employment stood at 1.38 million for March, with the number of unemployed Kansans dropping by 2,400 to 65,700.

In addition, the number of initial unemployment insurance claims in March was 11,279 compared to 13,520 in February. Claims stood at 9,700 in March 2001.

Bill Layes, chief of labor market information for the state, said manufacturing, transportation and utility sectors were the only exceptions to an otherwise good jobless report.

“I tend to feel we’ll see some improvement in the rate as we move to the summer months,” Layes said, noting that the May and June rates traditionally increase as students begin looking for summer employment.

March was an uneventful month in the state’s four metropolitan areas, where only Topeka and Lawrence saw marked improvement in the labor market.

Topeka’s unemployment fell to 3.8 percent in March from 4.1 percent in February. The Lawrence area jobless rate dropped to 4.2 percent from 4.5 percent.

Elsewhere, Wichita’s jobless rate was unchanged at 5.6 percent. It compares to 3.9 percent a year ago and reflects the heavy losses exacted on the aviation industry during the recent recession. The unemployment ranks grew by 60 in March, standing at 16,400. The area is Butler, Harvey and Sedgwick counties.

Layes said the Wichita area figure factors in most of the layoffs announced by the aviation industry last year and this winter.

The Kansas portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area defined as Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte counties also saw its rate remain unchanged for March, at 4.9 percent.

But Overland Park-based Sprint Corp., announced Tuesday that it would shed an additional 340 jobs as it tries to improve its financial outlook. The nation’s third-largest telecommunications provider has eliminated nearly 11,500 companywide since last year.

Besides recent cuts in the Kansas City area, Sprint closed a 500-job call center in Lawrence.

In Doniphan County, the latest employment figures came out a day after Snorkel, manufacturer of aerial lifts for industry, put officials on notice that the plant in Elwood would cease operations in June. Parent company OmniCorp cited a continued softening in the market.

Snorkel had cut all but one shift but brought back 100 workers to fill orders this year. Now, some local officials think the jobless rate in Doniphan County could hit 15 percent later this summer.

“I think there will be some surprised, especially after they rehired those workers,” said Galen Weiland, county economic development director. “But I would expect most people have known it was getting worse.”