NEW JERSEY – A mixed labor market picture emerged in September, with New Jersey adding 7,700 nonfarm jobs while seeing the unemployment rate inch higher, to 4.4 percent, according to preliminary estimates produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Total nonfarm employment reached a seasonally adjusted level of 4,347,400 in September, with the private sector adding 6,200 out of 7,700 new jobs. However, the state’s unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points.
August payroll figures have been adjusted to reflect a job growth of 9,800, down from the previously reported 12,300. The unemployment rate for the month remained steady at 4.2 percent.
In September, gains in the private sector were in education and health services (+7,600), other services (+1,100), and manufacturing (+900). Construction (-1,600), professional and business services (-800), information (-800), and financial activities (-200) recorded losses, while leisure and hospitality and trade, transportation, and utilities recorded no change for the month. The public sector recorded a seasonally adjusted gain of 1,500 jobs.
Over the past 12 months, New Jersey has added 65,000 nonfarm jobs. These gains were distributed across several industries, with seven out of nine private sector industries recording a year-over-year gain, September 2022 to September 2023. Those industries are education and health services (+52,000), leisure and hospitality (+10,800), other services (+4,200), trade, transportation, and utilities (+2,700), manufacturing (+1,700), construction (+700), and information (+300). Losses were recorded in professional and business services (-16,100) and financial activities (-2,800). Year-over-year, the state’s public sector recorded an increase of 11,400 jobs.
Preliminary estimates for October will be released on Nov. 16.
