Report: State unemployment holds steady as more jobs added

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts officials say the state continues to add jobs as its unemployment rate remains lower than the national average.

The state Office of Labor and Workforce Development said Friday that the August jobless rate stood at 3.6 percent, unchanged from the previous month.

U.S. unemployment stood at 3.9 percent in August.

Preliminary estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics show the state gained 6,100 jobs last month, despite a slight drop in manufacturing employment. Massachusetts has picked up more than 68,000 jobs over the past 12 months.