Topeka ? The Kansas unemployment rate remained steady in March.

The 7.1 percent jobless rate was down from 7.2 percent in February and 7.5 percent in March 2010.

But the seasonally adjusted rate for March was unchanged at 6.8 percent — the same as February although down from 7.2 percent in March 2010.

“The March Labor Report suggests that Kansas may be about to turn the corner in jobs created or retained. However, our optimism must be curbed with caution until we see a greater pace of private sector job growth,” said Kansas Labor Secretary Karin Brownlee.

There were 18,480 initial claims for unemployment benefits in March, up from 16,331 initial claims in February and down from 20,981 in March 2010. There were 222,071 continued claims in March, down from 234,356 in February and down from 372,977 in March 2010.

The unemployment rate for Douglas County was 6.3 percent in March, down from 6.5 percent in February. The March 2010 unemployment rate in Douglas County was also 6.3 percent.