Experts expect N.J. job creation to slow

Employment in New Jersey has been increasing, but there are now concerns about a potential slowdown.

Rutgers economist James Hughes says he’s not sure if the pace of private sector job creation in the Garden State this year can be sustained.

“It’s about almost 30,000 jobs for the first six months, so it’s going to be hard to do,” Hughes said Wednesday. “If we could maintain that pace in the second half of the year, it’ll be the best year since 1999, but there’s an awful lot of uncertainty that has been unleashed the past week or so.”

Hughes said many New Jersey companies are waiting to see if there’s a pickup in the national economy to give them the confidence to boost hiring.

But Republican lawmakers in the Assembly say the state can make additional regulatory reforms to improve New Jersey’s economic competitiveness.