Pasadena, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/29/2010 -- New Jersey saw a major job loss in September with the state shedding over 20,000 jobs. The data is from the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

New Jersey’s unemployment rate has gone down to 9.4 percent in September compared to 9.6 percent in August. But the reason is that unemployed people are dropping out of the workforce. New Jersey’s labor department recorded a loss of 20,200 nonfarm jobs. The private sector lost 9,400 jobs and the public sector lost 10,800 jobs. The public sector losses were cuts in government spending at the local and state level.

Even the earlier forecast of jobs gains in August turned out to be wrong. Instead of the state gaining 500 jobs, there was a loss of 1,100 jobs.

But CEO A. Harrison Barnes of Hound believes that there are still thousands of job openings in New Jersey, but employers are taking time to fill up those positions. “Right now, employers have the pick of the crop. They are looking for workers who can multitask, and this is true across all industries. And computer skills are absolutely essential no matter which industry you are in.”

Hound is a job search engine that has been able to find a total of almost 10,000 jobs in New Jersey, posted on employer websites so far. The company expects more job postings in the next few days as the retail chains announce their plans for this holiday season.