AUGUSTA (AP) – The state Labor Department says Maine’s unemployment rate in July was 5.4 percent, up one-tenth of a percentage point from June’s figure.

Commissioner Laura Fortman said Friday the preliminary figure is lower than the national rate for the month, 5.7 percent.

But Fortman says labor market trends in Maine continue to mirror national trends. She says a weak job market has resulted in slowly rising unemployment.

Other New England states reporting seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July include New Hampshire, 3.9 percent; Vermont, 4.8 percent; Massachusetts, 5.1 percent; Connecticut, 5.8 percent; and Rhode Island, 7.7 percent.