The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the national unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in December, following the addition of 50,000 jobs across the country. The November jobless rate was revised downward from 4.6% to 4.5%. This places December’s unemployment figure at 0.1 percentage point lower than the previous month but still higher than the 4.1% recorded in December 2024.
New Jersey’s own employment data for December is expected on January 22. In November, New Jersey had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation at 5.4%, trailing only Washington, D.C., and California.
Nationally, job growth in December was concentrated in food services and drinking places (+27,000), healthcare (+21,000), and social assistance (+17,000). Retail trade lost a net of 25,000 jobs, mainly due to reductions at warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers (-19,400) as well as transportation and warehousing (-6,600). Construction saw a decrease of 11,000 jobs while manufacturing declined by 9,000 positions.
The federal government added 2,000 employees during December but ended the year with a net loss of 277,000 jobs—about 9.2% of its workforce—for all of 2025.
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 584,000 jobs over the past year for an average monthly gain of about 49,000 positions in 2025. This is significantly below the two million nonfarm payroll jobs created in 2024 when average monthly gains were about 168,000.
Average hourly earnings for private nonfarm payroll employees rose by $0.12 (0.3%) to $37.02 in December; over the last twelve months wages have increased by approximately 3.8%.
The New Jersey Business & Industry Association represents employers across various sectors and serves as one of the largest statewide employer associations in the United States (official website). The association supports business success through advocacy efforts and partnerships among businesses, government entities and academic institutions (official website).
