New Jersey
Laid off in New Jersey? Start here.
Who to call, what New Jersey law says about your notice, and the free state programs most people never hear about. Everything here is free, and every fact has its source at the bottom.
Who to call
New Jersey's free help, in one place.
Rapid Response is the state team that steps in around a layoff. The job center is where you sign up for career help and training. Unemployment is its own office.
- Rapid Response
- New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development609-984-4437NJ Department of Labor layoffs and closings
- Unemployment
- New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce DevelopmentNorth New Jersey: 201-601-4100Central New Jersey: 732-761-2020South New Jersey: 856-507-2340Out-of-state claims: 1-888-795-6672File a claimBefore you file, check how New Jersey treats severance with the Unemployment Check.
- Job center near you
- Find an American Job Center (search by ZIP code)
The Rapid Response team works with employers too, so say up front that you're a worker who was laid off and ask where to start. You don't need your employer's permission.
Your notice
New Jersey has its own layoff-notice law.
New Jersey's WARN law covers employers with 100 or more employees and applies when 50 or more people in the state lose their jobs, at any number of sites. It requires 90 days' notice and severance: one week of pay for each full year you worked there, plus four more weeks if the notice came late.
N.J.S.A. 34:21-1 et seq. · Troutman Pepper, amendments to the New Jersey WARN Act (effective Apr 10, 2023)
See recent New Jersey notices on PinkSlipped's Layoff Wire.
Only in New Jersey
What's different here.
Read the release before you sign
Because severance is required by law in a New Jersey mass layoff, the severance agreement is usually the first document you'll be asked to sign. Check what you're giving up and what deadline it sets.
The state's own career navigator
My Career NJ is the state's free tool for job and training recommendations, built by the New Jersey Office of Innovation with the Department of Labor.
Before the first call
Four free checks, in the order you'll need them.
They work for New Jersey and every other state, and none of them asks for your name.
- 1Unemployment CheckWhen to file, and the weeks severance may offset
- 2Runway CheckKnow your runway in ten minutes
- 3Insurance CheckCOBRA or the Marketplace: what coverage actually costs
- 4401(k) CheckWhat touching the 401(k) really costs
Your Plan puts the New Jersey calls in the right week, next to your unemployment claim and your severance deadlines. Build my free Plan
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Rapid Response Coordinators
- U.S. Department of Labor, How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?
- Troutman Pepper, amendments to the New Jersey WARN Act (effective Apr 10, 2023)
- New Jersey Department of Labor, WARN notices
- New Jersey Office of Innovation, My Career NJ
Last reviewed October 26, 2026. Contacts and programs change; New Jersey's job center has the final word.
General education, not legal advice. PinkSlipped isn't affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor or any state agency.