New Jersey’s unemployment rate declined in July as the state continued to add jobs, the Department of Labor & Workforce Development reported Thursday.
The unemployment rate fell 0.2 of a percentage point, to 3.7%, for the month, according to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state added 6,300 jobs for July, up to 4,218,300 at a seasonally adjusted level.
Overall, state employers have added 101,500 jobs for the year, and 722,500 since April 2020, helping recover about 99% of the job losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Private-sector employment for July grew by 12,100 jobs, while the public sector lost 5,800 jobs — mostly at the local level.
Seven of the nine major private-industry sectors saw growth for the month, led by professional and business services, up 4,900 jobs, and education and health services, up 4,200 jobs. Leisure and hospitality was the only sector to record a loss, of 2,400 jobs, while the information sector broke even.
June job gains were revised slightly downward to 9,000 jobs, from an estimated 9,800.
