New Jersey added 16,100 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent after September figures were revised upward by 3,300 jobs.

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Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Thursday show New Jersey's unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points from 5.6 percent in the previous month.

The latest revisions for September mean the state added 8,000 jobs that month, up from 4,700.

New Jersey's Labor and Workforce Development Department says the state has added 215,400 private-sector jobs since February 2010, considered a low point for employers.

The Treasury Department's chief economist, James Wooster, says New Jersey has "turned an important corner."

Gov. Chris Christie, who is running for president, says the report shows growth. In a statement he cited rising home sales and an increasing number of building permits.

 

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