Topeka ? Kansas Labor Secretary Jim Garner today said the state continues to rebound from the 2003 national recession.

“Unemployment is down, jobs and wages are up, and state revenues are increasing,” Garner said during his annual state of labor address. “In short, we have come a long way.”

More than 1.4 million Kansans are working, which is nearly 76,000 more than in January 2003, when the state saw the highest demand ever for unemployment benefits.

In addition, average annual wages have increased since 2003 from $31,485 to $33,844.

The unemployment rate over the past year has averaged 4.7 percent.

The balance of Kansas’ unemployment trust fund has grown from $217 million to $615 million.