TRENTON – New Jersey added 4,600 jobs in June, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday.
The federal bureau also updated May’s figures, concluding private-sector job growth was higher than thought, for a total of 17,600 jobs.
The unemployment rate edged up in June to 8.7 percent, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the May rate of 8.6 percent.
New Jersey employers have added to their payrolls in nine of the last eleven months, increasing total non-farm jobholding in the Garden State by 74,800 over the past year, the bureau reported.
Since February 2010, the recessionary low point for private-sector employment, private sector employment has increased by 148,600 jobs.
“Putting together May and June, New Jersey created more than 21,000 new jobs over the last two months, continuing its recent impressive performance,” said Charles Steindel, Chief Economist for the New Jersey Department of Treasury.
“Overall resident employment also rose in June and shows a marked gain over the past year, and the unemployment rate remains a full point under last year’s peak,” he said.
Preliminary estimates indicate that total nonfarm employment in New Jersey increased in June to a seasonally adjusted 3,969,800. Gains were recorded in both the private (+1,300) and public (+3,300) sectors.
The revised data showed May with a 17,600 growth in private-sector employment and a 300 job drop in the public sector.
Breaking it down by category for June, private-sector job gains were posted in five of nine major industry sectors while four recorded a loss. Industries with job growth included: leisure and hospitality (+3,500), professional and business services (+1,900), financial activities (+1,800), education and health services (+1,200), and construction (+400). Job contraction occurred in trade, transportation, and utilities (-2,200), information (-2,100), manufacturing (-1,800) and other services (-1,500).
Summer seasonal hiring in the public sector in June contributed to increases at all three governmental levels: federal (+300), state (+2,300) and local (+700).
