New Jersey employers added 7,200 jobs in December and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.6%, according to preliminary federal estimates released Thursday by the state Department of Labor & Workforce Development.
New Jersey finished the year with 4,396,600 nonfarm jobs, a gain of 30,300 compared to December of 2023. The 4.6% state unemployment rate is 0.2 percentage points lower than it was in December of 2023, but still exceeds the national unemployment rate.
The national unemployment rate was 4.1% last month, a 0.3 percentage point increase from what it was in December 2023.
Six out of nine private industries in New Jersey recorded employment gains in December compared to November. These include professional and business services (+3,900), education and health services (+2,600), leisure and hospitality (+1,300), trade, transportation, and utilities (+900); other services (+600), and financial activities (+200).
Sectors that recorded job losses in December include construction (-2,100), and manufacturing (-500). The information sector recorded no change over the month. The public sector added 400 jobs in December.
Over the past 12 months, about 77% of New Jersey’s job gains occurred in the private sector. Three out of nine private sector industries recorded gains between December 2023 and December 2024: private education and health services (+44,000); trade, transportation, and utilities (+3,000); and other services (+300).
Job losses were recorded year-over-year in professional and business services (-8,600); information (-6,500); leisure and hospitality (-4,300); manufacturing (-2,300); financial activities (-1,400); and construction (-800).
The public sector has recorded a gain of 6,900 jobs over the past 12 months.
Data tables for the New Jersey December 2024 Employment Situation Report can be found here.
