Long Island unemployment rate at 7.7%

Long Island’s unemployment rate jumped to 7.7 percent in June, from 7 percent a year ago, the state Labor Department said this afternoon. It was the highest rate in three years.

The rising rate was not surprising, given the recent weak employment growth. Last week the department reported that the Island had 6,300 more jobs in June than the year before, one of the weakest increases of the year.