The New Jersey CannaBusiness Association is collaborating with CareersinCannabis.com to help bring businesses in the burgeoning statewide industry together with potential employees.

The addition of 17,800 jobs continues a trend of 16 consecutive months of gains. However, the state still has a higher unemployment rate than the nation’s.

The Garden State had the largest over-the-month decrease in unemployment nationwide, as it continued to add jobs for the 15th month in a row.

The Garden State's unemployment rate dipped to 6.3% in December, lagging behind the national average of 3.9%.

"[Lack of staff] is definitely one of the top, if not the top, challenge retailers have faced ... What’s amazing, is that is not the only challenge they have had to deal with this year," New Jersey Retail Merchants Association President John Holub told NJBIZ.

The state added 20,000 positions back to its workforce last month, making for more than 500,000 recovered since the business closures of March and April 2020.

Pennsylvania-based e-commerce company Radial anticipates a sizable portion of shoppers will still opt to make their purchases online rather than in-person.

When the Murphy administration said the state would subsidize some $500 hiring bonuses and offer $10,000 to employers for training new workers, some of the state’s largest business groups hailed the program as a major step toward stemming the months-long labor shortages. But some employers are less optimistic.

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development-run Return & Earn program will, according to the governor, “assist unemployed workers in their return to work” and “help small businesses fill the positions they need to fill to grow, thrive.”

Business owners and executives may have to grapple with a new hiring reality, given that the expiration of supplemental unemployment benefits apparently has not changed the way individuals are looking for work. Businesses in industries such as retail, dining, leisure and hospitality are still facing labor shortages, a phenomenon that could undermine the economic recovery.

In addition to flu vaccinations, the campaign will enable the administration of COVID-19 vaccines, tests and booster shots, pending regulatory approval.

The e-commerce giant continues to provide opportunities for full- and part-time jobs in logistics as it expands its footprint to better serve customers in communities where they live.