New Jersey’s private-sector employers added 4,800 jobs in May, reversing a month-earlier loss and bringing the total gain for the first five months of the year to 5,300, NJBIA President Philip Kirschner said today, commenting on the State’s monthly employment report.

"NJBIA is relieved to see business adding jobs once again," Kirschner said. "The addition of 4,800 jobs in May has put us in positive territory for the year, and that's good great news.  Job growth is slow, but it's good to see what we hope is the start of sustained growth for the rest of the year."

In releasing its monthly employment data today, the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development (LWD) reported a gain of 4,800 private-sector jobs in May.   It reported the addition of another 600 jobs in government (federal, State and local), bringing total employment growth in New Jersey last month to 5,400.

So far this year, employment has been erratic, up one month and down the next. Private sector employment grew in January (+5,300), March (+3,900) and May (+4,800), but declined in February (-6,600) and April (-2,100). Net employment growth for the year of 5,300 jobs has brought total private-sector employment to a record 3,439,000.

Economists have predicted that New Jersey will experience slow job growth in 2007, with overall employment (including government and the private sector) expanding by less than 1 percent.

State Labor Commissioner David J. Socolow, while conceding that job growth has been slow so far this year, said his department was delighted to see growth last month in professional and business services (+2,500) and financial services (+600).

Other employment advances in May came from trade, transportation and utilities (+3,100), education and health services (+1,600). Losses were seen in leisure and hospitality (-1,400), manufacturing (-800), and construction (-700).

Meanwhile, the State's unemployment rate remained stable at 4.3 percent in May, below the US average of 4.5 percent.