UNDATED (AP) — Louisiana saw a spurt of job creation in August, as payrolls jumped by 14,000 for the month. The state's unemployment rate, calculated in a separate survey, held steady at 7 percent.

Both sets of figures — adjusted to cancel out normal seasonal changes — were released Friday by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

State nonfarm payrolls rose to nearly 1.96 million, their highest-ever level, breaking a six-month doldrum when payrolls were basically flat. Louisiana saw the second-highest percentage payroll growth during the month behind Nevada.

Louisiana's jobless rate was 7 percent in July and 6.4 percent in August 2012.

The labor force fell by 7,000 people.

In August, 146,000 Louisianans were unemployed, down slightly from July, but above the 132,500 that were jobless in August 2012.

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