New Jersey employment increases

New Jersey employers added to their payrolls in January, while the state’s unemployment rate rose slightly by 0.1 percent to equal the national rate of 4.0 percent, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, previously released estimates for 2018 underwent annual benchmark revisions and were also released.
Preliminary nonfarm wage and salary estimates for January 2019 show an increase in total nonfarm employment by 17,800 jobs over the month, reaching a seasonally adjusted level of 4,196,900. All of the gain was recorded in the private sector of the state’s economy (+19,900).
Industry sectors that recorded over-the-month job gains for January included leisure and hospitality (+8,100), professional and business services (+7,900), education and health services (+3,500), construction (+1,900), trade, transportation, and utilities (+1,500), and information (+700). Sectors that recorded a job loss include other services (-1,500), financial activities (-1,300), and manufacturing (-900). Government employment was lower by 2,100 over the month.