New Jersey’s unemployment rate dipped slightly last month, but so did the number of jobs in the state. New Jersey’s unemployment rate was down to 9.1 percent in December, down one-tenth of one percent from November, according to the state Department of Labor. But the state lost 16,300 jobs, according to preliminary estimates – 13,300 from the private sector...
A job-seeker hands his resume to a representative of an NYC-sponsored employment agency during an event Tuesday. New Jersey's unemployment rate dropped to 9.1 percent at the end of December.New Jersey’s unemployment rate dipped slightly last month, but so did the number of jobs in the state.
New Jersey’s unemployment rate was down to 9.1 percent in December, down one-tenth of one percent from November, according to the state Department of Labor. But the state lost 16,300 jobs, according to preliminary estimates – 13,300 from the private sector and 3,000 from the public sector.
Over a one year period beginning in December 2009, the state lost a total of 30,700 jobs – mostly in the public sector. But that was a lot less than the year before that, when the private sector shed 121,100 jobs and the public sector grew by 7,000.
The state also upped the estimate of jobs created in November from 10,000 to 12,400.
Previous coverage:
• U.S. unemployment rate rises to 9.8 percent as hiring slows
• N.J. unemployment benefits cut to 26 weeks, from 99 weeks, for first-time filers
• Star-Ledger editorial: Unemployment extension should be restored