February marks 15th consecutive month of job gains; unemployment falls to 4.6%

New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development figures for February show another month of gains, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday.

For the month of February, New Jersey employers added 25,900 jobs to their payrolls, which translates to the 15th consecutive positive month. New Jersey has now recovered 658,300 jobs, or about 90% of the number lost in March and April 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, the state’s unemployment rate fell to 4.6% — the lowest rate since March 2020’s 3.3%. Still, New Jersey’s unemployment rate remains above the nation’s 3.8%.

In February, employment increases were recorded in eight out of nine major private sectors. Sectors that recorded job gains included trade, transportation, and utilities (+9,000), leisure and hospitality (+5,200), education and health services (+4,300), other services (+3,100), professional and business services (+2,300), construction (+1,300), manufacturing (+800) and information (+200). Over the month, public sector employment decreased by 300 jobs.