Initial unemployment claims in New Jersey rose by 11.6% for the week ending October 4, reaching a total of 8,836, according to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL). Continued claims, which are filed by individuals already receiving unemployment benefits, fell by 2.4% from the previous week to 88,732. This figure is also down 2.0% compared to the same period last year.
The NJDOL noted that the U.S. Department of Labor has stopped releasing regular economic data due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. The last available national report, covering August, showed New Jersey’s unemployment rate at 5.0%, which is higher than the national average of 4.3% by 0.7 percentage points.
“NJDOL is utilizing internal administrative data to maintain continuity in public reporting to assist with timely labor market insights,” the department said in a news release Thursday.
The department clarified that its current unemployment data does not include federal employees who have applied for benefits because of recent furloughs linked to the shutdown. Since October 1, when the shutdown began, more than 500 unemployment insurance claims have been filed by federal workers in New Jersey.
Federal employees looking for information about unemployment should visit MyUnemployment.nj.gov/federal.
