Unemployment dropped slightly from February to March in Lawrence County. That according to figures released this week by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The jobless rate in March was at 6.4% compared to 6.5% in February. Rates fluctuated in other surrounding counties. Richland County was also down slightly from 4.7% in February to 4.6% in March. But Crawford County was up from 5.5% to 5.6% in March and Wabash County was up from 5% to 5.1%. The IDES indicated that total non-farm employment in the Effingham and surrounding region in March decreased by over 1000 jobs compared to a year ago. There were some job gains made in the Trade and Transportation and Utilities sectors during the month.