TRENTON — New Jersey lost more jobs last month than any other state in the nation, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

The state shed 12,000 jobs in July, the most of any state and a "statistically significant decline," federal officials announced today.

The unemployment rate also rose to 9.8 percent in July, the fourth-highest of all the states.

The news has some New Jersey Democrats blasting Gov. Chris Christie, less than two weeks before Christie will give a nationally-watched speech on the economy, saying Mitt Romney is the man to fix it.

The Romney campaign announced earlier this week that Christie will give the high-profile keynote address at the Republican Convention in Tampa Bay, often used as a launching point for higher office.

"It's clear that Chris Christie's 'Jersey Comeback' is as elusive as Mitt Romney's tax returns," Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden) said Thursday. "Since he's spent so much time out of state campaigning for Governor Romney lately, perhaps he hasn't noticed that the only people feeling a 'comeback' under Christie are the millionaires and billionaires enjoying massive tax breaks."

State officials announced Thursday that the jobless rate had scaled from 9.6 percent to 9.8 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate last month was 8.3 percent.

The last time the state's jobless rate was higher was 1977, but Christie administration officials said the figure is preliminary and could be adjusted downward next month.

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Compared with the rest of the states, New Jersey had the 11th highest jobless rate at the beginning of the year. Nevada had the highest rate last month, at 12 percent, followed by Rhode Island at 10.8 percent and California at 10.7 percent.



Year-to-date, employers have added 25,000 jobs. Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said Thursday that 79,000 private-sector jobs have been added since February 2010 — Christie's first full month in office.



The state Treasury Department's chief economist, Charles Steindel, said on Thursday that July was a rough month brought on by a sluggish national economy. Hiring should pick up soon, he said.

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Related coverage:

• N.J. unemployment rate rises to 9.8 percent in July, state loses 12K jobs

• Gov. Christie officially named to give keynote address at GOP convention

• Nation's unemployment inches up to 8.3 percent, a five-month high