State officials report that New Mexico's unemployment increased slightly last month, and that job growth remains slow.
The Department of Workforce Solutions said Friday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in February. It was 6.6 percent in January, and 7 percent in February 2012.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said New Mexico was among 44 states in which February's jobless rate wasn't measurably different from a month earlier.
The state gained 5,600 jobs during the past year, with a job growth rate of 0.7 percent.
The leisure and hospitality industry accounted for the largest increase, picking up 2,600 jobs since last February. The state has lost 900 federal jobs during the same time.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.