BOSTON (AP) — The unemployment rate in Massachusetts remained steady at 3.5 percent in April while estimates showed the state adding more than 6,000 jobs.

That's according to the latest monthly report from the state Office of Labor and Workforce Development released Friday. The national unemployment rate stood at 3.9 percent in April.

The rate in Massachusetts has held steady at 3.5 percent for the past seven months.

Preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed a gain of 6,100 jobs last month.

The state's Labor and Workforce Development Secretary, Rosalin Acosta, says the state has gained an estimated 47,600 jobs over the past 12 months, with nearly 20,000 of those jobs added in the professional, business and scientific services sector.