Even as the economy added 162,000 jobs last month, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday that Americans with disabilities continued to struggle in the job market.

The unemployment rate for those with disabilities edged upward in July to 14.7 percent, rising from 14.2 percent the month prior.

This comes as the jobless rate for the general population ticked down to 7.4 percent, the Labor Department said.

Federal officials began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

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