New Jersey job market: Layoffs, losses and what comes next

Last year was one of the toughest I’ve seen in New Jersey’s job market. When the final tallies were in, New Jersey lost more than 16,000 jobs in 2025, according to Rutgers Bloustein School data — a sign of real stress across industries big and small.

A brutal year for New Jersey layoffs across legacy employers

Some of the cuts came from industries we’ve relied on for decades.

Verizon, for example, announced more than a thousand positions cut in the state, one of the largest single layoffs documented. Other companies trimming headcounts included Wonder Group, CMC Energy Services, Intercept Pharmaceuticals, and Anheuser-Busch, with layoffs stretching across sectors from hospitality to energy.

Layoffs happened at major employers like Bristol Myers Squibb, Rite Aid, Walmart, Novartis, and GEODIS Logistics — again underscoring a year of belt-tightening.

But it wasn’t all contraction. The New Jersey Department of Labor data show that despite the losses, there were also areas of resilience and even growth.

Education and health services, retail trade, financial activities, and transportation saw employment gains at various points in 2025, and total nonfarm employment still had periods of expansion.

Which New Jersey industries lost the most jobs in 2025?

Construction, information, and some parts of trade and hospitality shed jobs year-over-year.

Tech and corporate services faced softness nationally, and New Jersey wasn’t immune — companies in those categories trimmed staff or froze hiring to control costs.

Retail and logistics had noisy volatility as consumer patterns shifted and supply-chain costs squeezed margins.

Meanwhile, opportunity still flickered in health care, education, and some professional services. These aren’t just buzzwords — hospitals, outpatient care, social services, and education employers in New Jersey continued to post openings throughout 2025 and into early 2026, reflecting an ongoing demand that’s tough to automate away.

Job growth wasn’t equal across New Jersey regions

Regional patterns matter, too.

In North Jersey and the New York City-commuter corridor, financial, health care, and logistics jobs — while competitive — still appeared more frequently than in some South Jersey markets. In Central Jersey, education and medical services buoyed local payrolls. And in rural or shore areas, seasonal hospitality jobs spike in summer even if they don’t always turn into year-round work.

What the 2026 New Jersey job outlook looks like now

But what about 2026?

Economists are cautiously optimistic. Hiring nationally is slowing, but not collapsing, and some local employers are expanding staff — especially where AI and automation can’t replace human judgment and care, like nursing, therapy, teaching, skilled trades, and customer-facing roles. Recent delayed labor numbers still show net private sector job gains over the past year.

I know this story firsthand. A year ago, my job in Philly radio was eliminated. I poured months into searching within the industry, even looking as far as Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham, only to realize that moving wasn’t the right fit for my family. The thought of leaving our home of 33 years and pivoting wasn’t easy for me and today I’m grateful to be back at NJ 101.5 working with Judi Franco — and I count myself lucky.

If you’re still looking, keep pushing. There are local opportunities that can support your family, help you save, and even give you room to enjoy life again. The market is tough — no question — but there’s resilience here too. It’s real, and it’s worth chasing.