More Jobs in Jersey

Employment in New Jersey is projected to grow an average of 1.1 percent annually through 2010, according to the latest long-term projections by the New Jersey Department of Labor.

“The projected trend in the makeup of New Jersey’s job market through 2010 highlights the importance of building a comprehensive workforce development system to develop the skills of the state’s workers,” said Governor James E. McGreevey. “New Jersey will need to focus its resources and efforts on creating the skilled workforce that can fill these kinds of jobs.”

McGreevey recently announced plans to consolidate state workforce development programs under a restructured Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

"We must focus our resources in a comprehensive workforce development system to build a high-quality, literate and skilled workforce,” McGreevey said. “We must have a system that helps all of New Jersey's hardworking men and women to succeed in the modern workplace."

According to Labor Department projections for 2000 to 2010, professional and related occupations are expected to add the greatest number of jobs during the decade and have one of the fastest growth rates, 1.9 percent annually, over the projection period.

Leading job generators within professional and related occupations are expected to be computer specialists, health diagnosing and treating practitioners and health technologists and technicians.

Service occupations are projected to add the second highest number of new jobs behind professional and school occupations and enjoy a growth rate of 1.7 percent per year during the projections period.

According to the projections for the major industry sectors, employment growth will come mainly in the service sector, where the 350,700 projected new jobs will account for over three-quarters of the state’s net employment gain. Within services, business and health services are expected to dominate growth, with 122,800 and 98,700 new jobs, respectively. With an anticipated annual growth rate of 3.3 percent, social services will be the state’s fastest growing industry.

Job losses in manufacturing are expected to moderate from a decline of 132,600 jobs over the 1990-2000 period to about 46,000 jobs between 2000 and 2010. Pharmaceuticals, a key New Jersey industry, is expected to buck this downward trend, by adding 2,100 jobs over the projections period.

“These projections and a wealth of other labor market information are available online for planners and decision-makers in businesses and government,” said New Jersey Labor Commissioner Albert G. Kroll. “The Labor Department web site at www.nj.gov/labor and our One-Stop Career centers also provide a great deal of vital data and information for students as they plan their career paths, assistance for job seekers looking for employment opportunities and businesses looking for qualified workers.”

The statewide projections were developed by the New Jersey Department of Labor Division of Labor Market and Demographic Research. The data includes projections of changes in population, and the labor force, as well as the projections for employment by industry and by occupations. County projections will be available in late Spring.

The workforce development programs being consolidated into the Department of Labor are designed to train and educate workers with the job skills demanded in the workplace. They include apprenticeship programs, adult literacy and lifelong learning programs as well as basic skill programs for workers.

Several departments now offer programs designed to prepare individuals for jobs, connect them with job opportunities and develop and improve skills so that they can readily qualify for a new or better job.

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Author: Press Release-Micah Rasmussen