In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, Rutgers Bloustein School Distinguished Professor Carl Van Horn discusses slowing economic growth, persistent inflation, rising energy costs, and what they mean for workers, employers, and consumers.
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New Jersey economy expected to trail U.S. growth for next 2 years, Rutgers report says
Authors Will Irving and Tarun Arasu, both of Rutgers, expect employment growth to rebound to 0.5% in 2027 and eventually outpace the national rate over the medium term.
New Jersey Announces Star-Studded Celebration Ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn New Jersey into a destination, not just a transit hub,” said Dr. James Hughes.
Why Central Jersey rail towns are at the center of NJ’s housing boom
“New Jersey’s housing production roller coaster has been defined by long-term crests and falls since the 1940s,” James Hughes said. “The increase in construction during the 2020s so far suggests a potential turning point that adds important context to ongoing policy discussions about housing supply in New Jersey.”
New Jersey might go on a housing production tear this decade, Rutgers study predicts
“There’s a desire by the powers in Trenton that we at least maintain or stimulate more housing production,” Hughes said. “One of the sources of new housing has been obsolete office buildings. They have the land and utilities in place. It’s higher density housing, but policies like that can be very effective.”
Hughes Publishes New Rutgers Regional Report with CAIT
“Altogether, these economic, demographic and geographic factors provide a broader framework for understanding recent housing production trends within the state’s evolving economic and population landscape,” said Hughes.
NJ growth cools as immigration slows nationally, Census finds
The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and crackdown clearly have had an impact, making it “much less attractive to come to the United States,” said Rutgers University Professor James Hughes, who studies the state’s demographic trends
What’s driving the shrinking of North Jersey’s white collar job market
“Many probably were not at that time yet factoring in the full impact of a longer and broader conflict — so the expectation of moderate improvement over the next six months could prove optimistic,” Will Irving wrote in an email.
How Iran war and new jobs data paint a sour picture for NJ economy
New Jersey’s sluggish job growth in 2025 continued a downward trend over several years. The state added nearly 64,200 jobs in 2023, but only 39,800 in 2024, according to data compiled by the New Jersey Department of Labor.
“Things are definitely cooling,” Will Irving, a professor at the New Jersey State Policy Lab at Rutgers University, told NorthJersey.com in January.
New Jersey faces a multibillion-dollar deficit. Leaders say the state can become more affordable by taking specific steps
“There is no magical, painless way of making the state more affordable,” he said. “It took us decades and decades to get us into the position we’re in, and it’s going to take a long time to change things.”
