New Jersey added an estimated 13,800 jobs in March to reach a seasonally adjusted level of 4,386,600, according to a Thursday announcement from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate remained at 4.8%.
In March, seven out of nine private industry sectors recorded job growth. Sectors that recorded employment gains were private education and health services (+5,900), leisure and hospitality (+1,800), professional and business services (+1,200), construction (+1,000), other services (+800), trade, transportation and utilities (+600) and manufacturing (+100).
Sectors that recorded losses for the month were information (-200) and financial activities (-100). Government employment rose by 2,600 jobs, mainly at the local level.
Over the past 12 months, New Jersey has added 84,200 nonfarm jobs. Roughly 89% of those gains were in the private sector, with eight out of nine private-sector industries recording a year-over-year gain between March 2023 and this March.
Those industries were private education and health services (+43,500), leisure and hospitality (+14,100), other services (+6,400), trade, transportation and utilities (+6,200), construction (+3,400), professional and business services (+1,300), manufacturing (+600) and financial activities (+300). Losses were recorded year-over-year in information services (-1,100). The public sector recorded a gain of 9,400 jobs over the past 12 months.
