NJ jobless rate down slightly in January; revised stats show steeper employment decline in ‘09
By APWednesday, March 10, 2010
NJ unemployment rate down slightly in January
TRENTON, N.J. — State labor officials say New Jersey’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in January, but is still higher than the national rate.
New Jersey’s jobless rate for January was 9.9 percent, down from 10 percent in December. The national rate was 9.7 percent.
The state lost 9,700 private sector jobs in January, with the construction and financial sectors hit hardest. Six hundred jobs were added in the public sector.
Meanwhile, revised statistics released Wednesday show the state lost more jobs in 2009 than initially believed.
The revised figures indicate the state actually lost 114,100 jobs for the year instead of the previously reported figure of 90,100. New Jersey has lost more than 228,000 jobs since December 2007.
