The state employment security department released the monthly employment report today. The preliminary estimates are that the state added 9,800 jobs (seasonally adjusted) between May and June and that the unemployment rate in June was 6.8 percent (seasonally adjusted). The estimate of the number of jobs added from April to May was increased from 4,100 to 4,600.

From May to June, it is estimated that 15,700 private sector jobs were added and 5,800 government jobs were lost. One should not get overly excited about the large number of private sector jobs added. The survey upon which these estimates are based is prone to sampling error. Monthly employment numbers are often revised when complete counts become available from unemployment insurance tax records. This is particularly likely when the initial estimates show unusually large gains or losses.

The full report is available here.