(Harrisburg) -- If the state's latest report on July's hiring and unemploymentrate is an indication, Pennsylvania's economy is struggling.

The state Department of Labor and Industry says hiring has been stagnant since October and the unemployment rate shot up to 7.9 percent from 7.6 percent, the biggest monthly jump since 2009.

The jump in the jobless rate is the second straight monthly increase after dropping from the recessionary peak of 8.7 percent in 2010. The gap between the higher U.S.unemployment rate and the Pennsylvania rate is now as close as it's been since 2008.

The national jobless rate was 8.3 percent in July.

The state estimates that the number of nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania is slightly more than 5.7 million, almost the same as it was in October.