The D.C. Department of Employment Services sent out a press release today touting the District of Columbia’s March 2009 unemployment rate of 9.8 percent, which is down 0.1 percent from the 9.9 percent February 2009 rate. Could this mean we’ve seen the worst of the local job market, and won’t ever top 10 percent this year? Not likely, especially considering Mayor Fenty’s proposed city government layoffs haven’t even been approved yet. The national unemployment rate for March was 8.5 percent, which is up 0.4 percent from February.