HARRISBURG (AP) - Pennsylvania's unemployment rate remained steady in August, for the third straight month, as payrolls shrank slightly.

The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that the jobless rate remained at 5.4 percent in August, the same as it was in May. That is above the national rate of 5.1 percent.

The civilian labor force, the number of people working or looking for work, shrank by 12,000, but still remained above 6.4 million. Employment dropped by 7,000 to remain below 6.1 million while unemployment dropped by 5,000 to 344,000.

A June survey of employers found that seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls remained around 5.85 million after dropping by about 2,900 jobs. Most sectors dropped, although government, information and education and health care services saw increases.