Arizona, Washington and N.J. Show Strong Growth in January Employment

By Michael Cohn The states of Arizona, Washington and New Jersey showed the strongest rates of growth in private sector employment in January, while New York lagged behind, according to payroll giant ADP. The ADP Regional Employment Report, produced in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics, found that U.S. regional private sector employment growth slowed in all regions in January compared to the six-month average, except in the Middle Atlantic and West North Central regions. “At the state level, New Jersey recorded an exceptionally strong growth rate in January 2014 after a year-long slump in 2013,” said Ahu Yildirmaz, senior director of the ADP Research Institute, in a statement. “In contrast, New York shows the lowest growth rate of all states tracked.”