2025 Benchmark New Jersey Employment Data Released; Preliminary January 2026 Estimates Indicate Job Growth

April 2, 2026 | nj.gov

Preliminary employment estimates for January 2026 produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicate that New Jersey payrolls increased by 6,000 over the month. The unemployment rate for January was 5.2 percent, a decrease from December’s rate of 5.4 percent. Additionally, the originally reported 2025 employment estimates have been adjusted downward after annual benchmark revisions. 

The annual benchmarking adjustment indicates that the year-over-year (Dec. 2024 – Dec. 2025) change in total nonfarm jobs was adjusted lower to show a gain of 5,100, from the previously reported gain of 9,000 jobs. The two-year job gain from December 2023 to December 2025 was revised to 37,900, or 10,300 fewer jobs than previously estimated.

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NJ SEED: Could inflation of employment numbers by nearly 50% be just a statistical error or might it be political manipulation? The public needs to be confident that data published by government authorities is accurate to the greatest extent possible.