How many jobs were lost in New Jersey last month?
Refreshed monthly
New Jersey lost 1,700 jobs in August 2026, ranking it 43rd among states in job growth. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' state employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the state has averaged about 5,000 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.
-1.7K
month to month change in number of jobs (August 2026)
43rd
rank among states in monthly job growth (August 2026)
August 2026's loss of 1,700 jobs was the 3rd consecutive month of negative job growth in New Jersey. Monthly job growth was up from the 21,900 lost jobs in July 2026.
During the latest five year period (September 2021 to August 2026), New Jersey gained jobs in 43 out of 60 months. August 2026 had the 14th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (58,300) while job growth was weakest in July 2026 (-21,900).
There were 1,700 fewer jobs in August 2026 in New Jersey than the previous month.
Monthly change in nonfarm employment, September 2021–August 2026, seasonally adjusted
Which New Jersey sectors and industries had the best and worst job growth in August 2026?
The three supersectors with the highest job growth in August 2026 were arts, entertainment, and recreation, health care and social assistance, and construction. Arts, entertainment, and recreation added 2,900 jobs, more than the entire economy. Health care and social assistance gained 1,300 jobs, while construction added 1,000. The remaining supersectors either posted smaller gains or lost jobs during the month.
The three lowest-performing supersectors were administrative and support and waste management and remediation services, private educational services, and local government. Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services lost 3,700 jobs in August 2026, while private educational services lost 2,700 jobs and local government lost 1,900 jobs.
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The health care and social assistance sector gained 1,300 jobs during August 2026.
Change in jobs since previous month with circle size representing number of sector jobs in New Jersey (August 2026)
How has New Jersey's job growth changed over time?
In 2025, New Jersey gained an average of 425 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 2,733, and the lowest since 2020. The 2025 average ranks as 14th-highest in job growth since 2007.
When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 9,400 on average every month in 2009 to a gain of 9,400 on average every month in 2022.
In 2025, New Jersey gained an average of 425 jobs every month.
Average monthly change in the number of jobs, seasonally adjusted
Job growth among three metro areas primarily in New Jersey during August 2026 ranged from a loss of 1,100 jobs in the Trenton, NJ area to a loss of 200 jobs in the Vineland, NJ area.
Monthly job growth, by metro area
Metro areas where at least one of its primary counties are within New Jersey
| Metro area | Change in jobs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | +3,700 | |
| 2. | +700 | |
| 3. | -200 | |
| 4. | -300 | |
| 5. | -1,100 | |
| 6. | -26,000 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
