Jobless rate ticks higher in October, ending record-breaking streak.

Byline: NJBIZ STAFF

Breaking a sixth-month streak of record lows for the state, New Jersey's unemployment rate crept higher in October, according to estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

On Nov. 14, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development said the unemployment rate rose by 0.1 of a percentage point to 3.2 percent. At the same time, hiring improved with total nonfarm wage and salary employment increasing by 10,200 jobs.

According to NJDOLWD, the higher jobless rate stemmed, in part, from residents entering the labor force.

New Jersey's unemployment rate still came in under the national rate of 3.6 percent, as it did in September.

Year over year, NJDOLWD said the state gained 30,200 jobs, with an increase of 32,400 jobs in the private sector only slightly...