New Jersey lost 15,600 private-sector jobs in April, making it the second worst month for employment losses since the start of this recession. 

The State’s private sector has shed 54,600 jobs so far this year and 147,700 since the recession began 16 months ago, according to data released by the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) in its monthly employment report.

This enormous loss of jobs rivals the heavy employment declines seen in the State’s 1989-92 recession. 

Meanwhile, New Jersey’s unemployment rate continued to climb, hitting 8.4 percent in April, up from 8.3 percent in March.  It is now at the highest level since November 1992, but it remains below the national unemployment rate, which was 8.9 percent in April.

Since peaking in January 2008, total private-sector employment in New Jersey has fallen by 147,700 jobs to 3,293,500, a decline of 4.3 percent. More than 90 percent of that loss (136,900) has occurred over the past 12 months.

In its April report, the LWD said it had revised the loss for March downward to 13,700 from the original estimate of 17,400.  The recession’s biggest one-month loss occurred in November 2008, when 21,400 private-sector jobs disappeared.

Eight of 10 major industry groups lost ground in April, including transportation and utilities (-5,900 jobs), leisure and hospitality (-5,700), professional and business services (-2,300), manufacturing (-2,000), and construction (-1,700).

Also hard hit were retail (-1,600), wholesale (-1,700); arts; entertainment and recreation (-3,500); accommodations and food services (-2,200); and professional, scientific and technical services (-4,600).
 
Modest gains were recorded in the information (1,400) and education and health services (900) industry groups in April.  The public sector (federal, state, and local government) added 1,200 jobs, which the Department of Labor said was due entirely to the addition of federal workers to prepare for the 2010 census.