RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Employment Commission says the state’s jobless rate rose slightly to 5.4 percent in July. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is up from 5.1 percent in June and down from 5.7 percent a year ago. Virginia’s jobless rate has increased for the past three months. It had reached its lowest rate in February since November 2008. The largest jobs increase was seen in construction and the only sector that saw declines in July was finance. Other areas such as total government, manufacturing and professional and business services also saw gains. The Labor Department says unemployment rates rose in 30 states, dropped in 8 and was unchanged in 12 states and Washington, D.C. The national unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in July.
