Preliminary estimates show that 7,500 jobs were added to the state’s economy in August, according to the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development report.

The number of jobs added in August is the most since January, following two months of job losses, Boston.com reports.

The state’s private sector added 6,700 jobs in August. Education and health services, leisure and hospitality, construction, and financial services also showed gains, according to the report.

The private sector represents 43,500 of the 45,100 new jobs created in the state since August 2012.

The state’s unemployment rate had risen in each of the three previous months, Boston.com reports. Massachusetts’ 7.2 percent unemployment rate is just below the national average of 7.3 percent.