In his third year in office, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy hopes to create impactful change statewide. Murphy, a Democrat, proposed a number of policies in his most recent State of the State address, in which he called for “Ethics-reform” in New Jersey. The legislation he wishes to see passed this year includes a millionaire’s tax, as well as increased funding and training for high-tech jobs.
The motivation for these reforms, according to Murphy, can be traced back to the 2007 recession, from which New Jersey had a particularly tough time recovering. While the nation as a whole regained the number of jobs lost at the time by 2014, New Jersey did not return to the same employment numbers until 2017, according to the U.S. Labor Department. By helping send kids to community college and learn new skills, specifically focused on manufacturing, the state hopes that when another recession hits, New Jersey will be a safe haven full of high-tech jobs.
