From the Jersey City Reporter, August 19, 2012:

Last week the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development released state employment numbers for July. The news was something of a mixed bag.

The Reporter notes that while the jobs news was touted as positive by the state, local unemployed residents are having a hard time finding jobs. That’s because the recovery has been lagging in New Jersey, as NJPP notes.

“The latest jobs report is very bad news for New Jersey,” NJPP president Gordon MacInnes says. “With unemployment the highest it’s been since April 1977, this report confirms the fragility of the state’s crawl out of the recession. Instead of assuring New Jerseyans that we are over the hump and concentrating on barely noticeable tax cuts, it’s time to focus on investing in job creation strategies that work.”

Read more: Hudson Reporter – NJ unemployment hits 9 8 percent Jobless numbers now higher than the national average