Unemployment in Massachusetts dropped to 4.2 percent in August, once again bringing the number of people who do not have a job but have actively looked in the last four weeks, below the national rate of 4.4 percent.

The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced in a statement last week that preliminary estimates show the state added 10,800 jobs in August.

The state has added more than 57,000 jobs from August last year.

“Massachusetts has gained 57,400 jobs in the last year, with much of that growth concentrated in key economic sectors like health, education, professional, business and scientific services,” Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta said in a statement. “While these job gains, alongside a low unemployment rate, are signs of a strong economy in the commonwealth, skills gaps and labor market pressures persist. That is why our workforce development agencies and partners continue to focus on matching available workers with the training and resources they need to connect to high demand jobs.”

The largest job sector gains in August were in professional, scientific and business services (7,100), other services (4,600) and Information (1,300), while leisure and hospitality had the biggest loss (-2,400).

The labor force decreased by 17,200 from 3,697,700 in July, as 10,700 fewer residents were employed and 6,500 fewer residents were unemployed over the month.

Over the year, the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased eight-tenths of a percentage point from 3.4 percent in August 2016. There were 31,300 more unemployed residents over the year compared to August 2016.

The state’s labor force participation rate – the total number of residents 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks – decreased three-tenths of a percentage point to 66.1 percent over the month. The labor force participation rate over the year has increased 1.3 percent compared to August 2016.