The largest jump, of 6,000 jobs, was reported in trade, transportation and utilities. In total, the state added 30,900 workers, but the unemployment rate only ticked down to 9.6 percent from 9.7 percent.
New Jersey is reporting a big jump in private sector employment in December — the largest single monthly gain since the government began tracking nonfarm employment in 1990.
The state Labor Department reports private employers added 30,900 workers to their payrolls last month.
Job gains were reported in all of the state's nine major private industry sectors. The largest jump, of 6,000 jobs, was reported in trade, transportation and utilities.
The jobless rate, however, remains stubbornly high — at 9.6 percent. That's nearly 2 percentage points higher than the national rate of 7.8 percent for December.
New Jersey had previously reported an identical jobless rate for November. But November's number was adjusted upward to 9.7 percent.