Economists have said New Jersey’s economy will take longer to recover because of heavy restrictions imposed in March and April 2020. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Nearly 18 months since the coronavirus pandemic sent unemployment rates skyrocketing and shuttered businesses for months, New Jersey has recovered 62% of jobs lost, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said in a monthly jobs report.
The state added 14,600 jobs in July, bringing the total number of jobs added since March 2020 to 441,700, the bureau said. The state’s unemployment stands at 7.3%, a slight increase from June and one of the highest in the nation.
The job gains were concentrated in the private sector, which saw 21,000 jobs added. The public sector lost 7,100 jobs in the same month, due to low seasonal employment outside of education, according to the report.
Professional and business services saw the largest gains, with 6,900 positions added. Trade, transportation, and utilities also continue making a big recovery, with 6,100 jobs added. Roughly 4,000 jobs were added to the construction industry.
The leisure and hospitality industry, which took the biggest hit at the height of the first wave of the pandemic, added 1,300 jobs. Manufacturing gained 1,100 jobs, while the education and health care industries added 400 jobs.
Economists have said New Jersey’s economy will take longer to recover than some other states because of heavy restrictions on businesses imposed in March and April 2020.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
