Topeka ? Even though the state shed 3,500 jobs last month, its unemployment rate fell slightly in February, state officials said Friday.

According to preliminary data from the Department of Human Resources, unemployment dropped to 5.2 percent, down from 5.3 percent in January. The rate declined, despite the lost jobs, because the number of people seeking employment dropped, as did the total number of people in the workplace.

The rate compares to the seasonally-adjusted national rate of 5.6 percent and the state’s rate in February 2003 of 5.7 percent. Nonfarm employment fell to 1.29 million in February, with most of the losses attributed to bad weather and seasonal cutbacks.

The jobless rate in the Lawrence area was 4.8 percent, up from 4.7 percent a month ago, and down from 5.0 percent a year ago.

“These numbers reflect the stagnant trends we’ve seen over the past several months,” said Human Resources Secretary Jim Garner. “We haven’t seen any substantial job loss or job growth.”

However, a recent survey from Manpower Inc., a Wisconsin-based staffing company, found that Kansas employers expect to be active during the second quarter of 2004. The survey found 31 percent of businesses statewide expected to hire new staff, with the biggest gains expected in Hutchinson, Lawrence and Salina.

Legislators have been considering bills designed to revitalize the economy by spurring development in rural communities and making Kansas a leading participant in bioscience research.