New Jersey December 2025 Employment: 5,700 Jobs Added, 5.4% Unemployment Rate
January 22, 2026
TRENTON – New Jersey employers added 5,700 jobs in December, reaching a seasonally adjusted total of 4,402,200 jobs, according to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).The state’s unemployment rate remained at 5.4 percent.
November’s employment and labor force estimates were revised upward by 500 jobs. This means the previous estimate of a 1,200 job loss from October to November is now more accurate. The unemployment rate for November stayed at 5.4 percent.
Five of the nine private industry sectors saw job gains in December. Leisure and hospitality led with an increase of 3,000 jobs, followed by private education and health services (+2,800), professional and business services (+2,500), financial activities (+600), and information (+300). though, some sectors experienced losses. Trade, transportation, and utilities declined by 3,200 jobs, while manufacturing, construction, and other services lost 500, 100, and 100 jobs, respectively.The public sector added 400 jobs during the month.
Over the last year, new Jersey added 9,000 non-farm jobs, with the private sector accounting for 9,200 of those gains. Private education and health services saw the largest increase (+28,400), and professional and business services also grew substantially (+8,900).Construction, trade, transportation, and utilities experienced year-over-year declines (-10,200, -9,800). Other services, information, manufacturing, and financial activities also reported losses (-3,500, -3,400, -600, -300). Leisure and hospitality saw a slight decrease of 200 jobs.