A new report says Kansas continued to gain jobs in March, even though the unemployment rate edged higher.

In its monthly jobs report, the state Labor Department said Friday the Kansas economy sent mixed signals in March.

The jobless rate rose to 6.2% from 6.1% in February, but was down from 6.8% in March of last year.

The report also says private-sector jobs rose by roughly 2% over the past year, to a total of nearly 1.1 million in March.

Kansas Labor Secretary Karin Brownlee describes the growth as steady, but says there appears to be some hesitation among private employers to hire more workers.

The biggest gains over the past year were in business and professional services.