More jobs were created last month than economists had expected, but the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher ticked up slightly in June from 3.8 percent to 3.9 percent.

Despite that increase, the rate is much better than those with only a high school diploma, which continues to hover around the national average – at 7.6 percent. That’s according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Still, many companies say they’ve had trouble finding recent college grads with the reading and analytical skills to fill open positions.

Higher-education and workforce development officials seem to agree: The key to meeting workforce needs is to build a system that leverages community colleges.

They say colleges and companies should be doing more to help low-income workers develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in America’s increasingly knowledge-based economy.

Richard Kazis, Senior Vice President of the non-profit Jobs for the Future, says community colleges are a vital entry way for most Americans, "particularly for less well-prepared, lower-income, first generation college goers."

"Community colleges are a critical element of our workforce system,” Kazis says.

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION —JUNE 2013