New Jersey's unemployment rate rose a tick in August to 6.6 percent as more people looked for work and the number of people with jobs dropped slightly.
The state Labor Department released its preliminary monthly report Thursday.
The report finds that employment decreased in construction, trade, transportation and utilities and the public sector. There were gains in jobs in manufacturing, education and health services and business and professional services.
Gov. Chris Christie said Thursday that the report does not indicate that the state's economy is heading in the wrong direction.
Since August 2013, the state's unemployment rate fell by 1.5 percentage points as 40,000 more people got jobs and nearly 33,000 stopped left the labor force.
New Jersey's unemployment rate remains above the national rate of 6.1 percent.
Unemployment Rate Rises a Tick in New Jersey
Copyright AP - Associated Press
