Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly to 4.2 percent in August from 4.1 percent in July. The state’s jobless rate was 3.6 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate remained at 4.9 percent in August. “While the unemployment rate ticked up again in August, there were a few bright spots,” said Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development. The total number of working Iowans also increased by 1,700 from July and 3,600 higher than a year ago. Additionally, for the third consecutive month, Iowa businesses expanded their payrolls and added 4,900 jobs, raising the total number of working Iowans. Iowa’s unemployment rate also remains 0.7 percentage point lower than the national rate, Townsend said.