Oklahoma's unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point in July to 5 percent and is now higher than the national rate, which held steady at 4.9 percent.
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission said Friday that the overall labor force fell by nearly 16,500 and the number of people with jobs decreased by 18,150 while the number of those without jobs rose by just more than 1,700.
The commission says the education and health services sector lost 2,500 jobs from June to July and the trade, transportation and utility lost 1,900 jobs. Professional and business services industries added 300 jobs and government jobs increased by 200.
The unemployment rate in Oklahoma has been climbing during the past six months in Oklahoma and is up from 4.2 percent in February.