State employers continue to add to payrolls

TRENTON – New Jersey employers continued to add to their payrolls in August, according to preliminary estimates produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Total nonfarm wage and salary employment increased for the fourth consecutive month in August, up by 1,600 jobs, to reach a seasonally adjusted level of 4,195,700. The state’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 percent for the month.
Looking at the longer-term, over-the-year August 2017 – August 2018, employment in New Jersey was higher by 61,500, with the majority of the gains recorded by private-sector employers (+59,600). Since February 2010 (the low point of the last recession), New Jersey’s private-sector employers have added 387,400 jobs.
Based on more complete reporting from employers, previously released total nonfarm employment estimates for July were revised lower by 6,400 jobs to show an over-the-month (June – July) increase of 6,600 jobs. Preliminary estimates indicated an over-the-month gain of 13,000 jobs. The state’s revised July unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent.
In August, employment increases were recorded in four out of nine major private-industry sectors. Industry sectors that added jobs over the month include trade, transportation, and utilities (+2,600), other services (+2,100), educational and health services (+1,100), and construction (+200). Job losses over the month occurred in the professional and business (-3,100), leisure and hospitality (-900), manufacturing (-500), information (-500), and financial activities (-300) industry sectors. Over the month, public-sector employment was higher by 900 jobs, mainly due to increases at the local level (+800).
Preliminary BLS data for September 2018 will be released on Oct. 18.