TRENTON, NJ – As most of America digs out quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, in New Jersey, state offices remain closed and government-imposed COVID-19 mandates are still among the most strict in the nation. Businesses in New Jersey continue to compete with unemployment benefits from the state as thousands of businesses can’t find enough workers.
That has led to many businesses closing early each day, limiting customers and some, even going out of business.
The pre-pandemic policy of requiring unemployment recipients to maintain an active job search regimen is still not being enforced by the New Jersey Department of Labor, causing both a worker shortage and an unemployment crisis at the same time.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, New Jersey has an unemployment rate of 7%, the third-highest in America, behind only California and Nevada.
In comparison, Florida, which has balked at many COVID-19 pandemic restrictions has an unemployment rate of just 4.8%. New Jersey’s unemployment rate dipped from 7.2% in October.
“Unemployment rates were lower in October in 28 states and the District of Columbia and stable in 22 states, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-five states and the District had jobless rate decreases from a year earlier and five states were little changed,” BLS reported. “The national unemployment rate, 4.6 percent, edged down by 0.2 percentage point over the month and was 2.3 points lower than in October 2020.”