A weak September U.S. employment report set off a new political fight in New Jersey, where Republicans are pointing to recent state job losses and corporate moves while Gov. Mikie Sherrill targets the Trump administration over the national economy.
TRENTON, NJ — Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New Jersey Senate Republicans traded sharply different economic messages Friday after the federal government reported just 29,000 jobs were added nationwide in September, while revised state data showed New Jersey lost nearly 22,000 jobs in July.
Despite New Jersey jobs moving out over corporate taxes and an unfriendly business climate in New Jersey, Sherrill continued pointing the finger at Trump.
Sherrill focused on the national numbers and President Donald Trump. Senate Republicans immediately turned the argument back toward conditions inside New Jersey.
“The numbers are in, and it’s another stunningly bad jobs report under Donald Trump,” Sherrill said. “Just 29,000 jobs were added in September, unemployment rose to 4.2%, and we learned that 60,000 fewer jobs were created in July and August than previously reported.”
Those figures match Friday’s U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. BLS said payroll employment increased by 29,000 in September and the national unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%. July employment was revised from a previously reported gain of 21,000 to a loss of 10,000, while August was revised from 162,000 jobs gained to 133,000. Combined, the two months were revised downward by 60,000 jobs.
Republicans Point to New Jersey’s Own Job Losses
New Jersey Senate Republicans responded by highlighting the state’s employment record and accusing Sherrill of looking toward Washington while New Jersey employers cut jobs or move operations elsewhere.
“While the Governor focuses on DC, NJ is rapidly losing jobs at home,” the Senate Republican caucus said. “NJ shed 22K jobs in July, its worst monthly decline since COVID.”
The latest revised state figures put that July loss at 21,900 jobs — down from the preliminary estimate of 25,600. New Jersey then lost another 1,700 payroll jobs in August, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state’s unemployment rate stood at 4.3% in August.
The July decline was concentrated heavily in professional and business services, which initially showed a 13,400-job monthly loss, along with leisure and hospitality, education and health services, construction and several other sectors. State labor officials cautioned when the preliminary July report was released that the size of the decline was likely overstated because of seasonal-adjustment issues and a lower-than-expected survey response rate.
GOP Launches Job Loss Tracker
Republicans are now promoting a statewide “Job Loss Tracker” through the Senate GOP website, cataloging companies that have reduced employment, relocated offices or made investments outside New Jersey during Sherrill’s administration.
“As New Jersey continues to see employers leave the state or invest elsewhere, we’re keeping track,” the caucus said Friday.
Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco has argued that taxes, costs and New Jersey’s overall business climate are contributing to those decisions. The tracker has cited companies including Burlington Stores, Samsung, Johnson & Johnson, HelloFresh and ExxonMobil.
Not every item represents a direct New Jersey job loss, however.
ExxonMobil, for example, changed its legal corporate domicile from New Jersey to Texas effective July 1. The company said its leadership and core operations had already been based in Texas since 1989, making the change primarily one of corporate domicile rather than a newly announced relocation of a New Jersey workforce.
Burlington’s move is more tangible. The retailer announced in September that it will relocate its corporate headquarters from Burlington County to Philadelphia, where it plans a $370 million investment and a workforce of as many as 2,000 employees within several years.
“We are very excited to be relocating our corporate headquarters to Philadelphia,” Burlington CEO Michael O’Sullivan said, citing the city’s “energy, talent, and infrastructure” as factors in the decision.
Two Different Economic Arguments
The exchange underscores the widening political battle over the economy heading into the final months of 2026.
Sherrill is tying weaker national hiring and downward revisions to Trump’s economic stewardship. New Jersey Republicans are making a different case, using New Jersey employment, corporate relocations and the state’s cost structure to argue that Trenton should focus on its own economic policies.
The available employment data show weakness at both levels, but the numbers measure different things. The September report Sherrill cited covers the national labor market, while the July and August numbers Republicans highlighted measure payroll employment specifically in New Jersey.
Neither set of monthly figures, by itself, establishes which individual government policies caused employers to hire, cut positions or relocate.
The next major snapshot of New Jersey’s labor market will provide a clearer look at whether the sharp summer losses were temporary or part of a broader trend in the Garden State economy.
