The strong job growth in December helped New Jersey end 2023 with a net gain of 69,600 jobs. By comparison, the state lost 303,600 jobs in 2020; added 265,600 jobs in 2021; and added 129,700 jobs in 2022; Rutgers University economist James W. Hughes said.
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James W. Hughes
DRIVE TIME: The struggle to find housing in New Jersey
Dean Emeritus James W. Hughes talks about the rising cost of housing in NJ and what the future will bring.
Hughes expects NJ to be Waiting for the ‘Immaculate Disinflation’
Dean Emeritus James W. Hughes said a key question now is whether the Fed’s interest rate hikes will create a soft landing with a slow-growth economy, or a hard landing that will “crash” the economy.
Helped by federal funds and private investment, a major push for passenger rail
It's the question rail enthusiasts have posed for years: When might U.S. train travel start to more closely resemble that of Europe and Asia? ......... But even as the federal government pours money into improving the nation's rail system, experts caution the ultimate...
Could a record-high minimum wage mean a rise in prices and unemployment? Experts weigh in
In January, New Jersey’s minimum wage will hit its highest rate ever, $15.13 an hour, after several years of phased increases. Proponents who ushered in the increase, including progressive activists and Democratic state leaders, argue it’s necessary to afford a basic...
New Jersey public schools are losing students. Why? And where are they going?
Fewer and fewer children are attending public schools in New Jersey. Across the Garden State, public school enrollment dropped by nearly 36,000 students between 2012-13 and 2022-23, according to analysis by the Asbury Park Press. The drops are causing budget strains...
Hughes – What if the road from Tuckerton to Atlantic City was built?
Route S4A was intended to connect Tuckerton in Ocean County to Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey, during the 1920s. The road's construction would have significantly shortened the travel distance between North Jersey and Atlantic City, but it was never...
Reconciling rising unemployment and strong job growth: NJ’s uncertain fiscal outlook
New Jersey’s unemployment rate has steadily risen over the past year and now ranks among the highest in the nation. But while some economists and others suggest that’s a cause for concern, the topline numbers may not tell the full story. The state unemployment rate...
NJ job market numbers are out: See where we’re headed
New Jersey’s private sector lost 9,500 jobs in the past two months and the unemployment rate ticked up from 3.7% to 3.9% according to a preliminary jobs report released Thursday morning by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. That comes...
Many N.J. seniors, especially in cities, wouldn’t get much help from property tax cut plan, analysis shows
Supporters of a sweeping new property tax cut proposal for New Jersey seniors say a big goal is to entice older residents across the state to stay by making their lives here more affordable — so they won’t skip out and spend their golden years elsewhere. But while the...