New Jersey’s labor market showed signs of growth in July, with the state adding a total of 7,500 nonfarm jobs, according to a Thursday report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase was driven by the private sector, which recorded employment gains in six of nine industries.
Leading the job growth were professional and business services, which added 7,700 jobs. Other sectors with significant gains included leisure and hospitality (+3,000), other services (+2,500), and manufacturing (+1,200). Smaller gains were also seen in private education and health services (+500) and financial activities (+100).
Despite the overall positive trend in the private sector, some industries did experience job losses in July. These included construction (-1,600), trade, transportation, and utilities (-200), and information (-100). The public sector also saw a loss of 5,600 jobs for the month.
Over the past 12 months, New Jersey’s labor market has added a total of 24,800 nonfarm jobs. The private sector has been the primary engine of this growth, accounting for a gain of 32,000 jobs over the year. The biggest gains were in private education and health services (+32,100) and professional and business services (+11,600).
Industries that have faced year-over-year losses include construction (-8,000), trade, transportation, and utilities (-6,900), and information (-4,700). The public sector has also contracted, losing 7,200 jobs over the same 12-month period.
