Topeka ? The Kansas unemployment rate fell to 7.1 percent for August, down from an adjusted rate of 7.8 percent in July, officials reported Friday.

“The August Labor Report offers two positive economic signs: decreasing unemployment rate and a continued slowing in the rate of decline in total nonfarm employment,” said Kansas Department of Labor economist Tyler Tenbrink.

But Tenbrink urged caution.

“While this (the falling jobless rate) is welcome news, we continue to see job losses in most industries, and some industries are continuing to lose jobs at an increasing rate.

“Despite the positive indicators in August, continued job loss is expected in the months to come. It remains to be seen whether the rate at which those jobs are lost will continue to decline or begin to pick back up,” he said.

There were 222,219 continued claims for unemployment benefits in August, up from 208,715 continued claims in July, the Labor Department reported.

Just a year ago, in August 2008, the state unemployment rate stood at 4.7 percent.

The unemployment rate for Douglas County was 6.1 percent for August, down from the 6.4 percent level in July. It stood at 4.1 percent in August 2008.