You must notify the Division of Unemployment Insurance if a work stoppage has occurred because of a labor dispute. The notice should state the details and number of workers involved, and should be given immediately after the start of the work stoppage.

Labor Dispute Officer: (609) 292-4947

If you anticipate a mass separation of your workers (that is, 25 or more workers to be laid off for a period of seven days or more), you must notify the Department 48 hours prior to the layoff.

Basic requirements pursuant to WARN legislation provides protection to workers, their families, and communities by requiring employers to provide notification 60 calendar days in advance of plant closings or mass layoffs. WARN also provides for notice to state Dislocated Worker units so we can promptly provide dislocated worker assistance. Send notification and questions to:

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Response Team - Dislocated Worker Unit
PO Box 933
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0933
Telephone: (800) 343-3919

A claim for unemployment insurance benefits can be filed either online here, or by telephone to one of three Call Centers. The phone numbers for the Call Centers are:

North Jersey area      (201) 601-4100
Central Jersey area    (732) 761-2020
South Jersey area      (856) 507-2340

The Call Centers are open Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. – noon.

Before filing, a claimant should have readily available his or her Social Security number, names and addresses of all employers worked for in the past 18 months, and if applicable, the alien registration number. Claimants who file online should have available their motor vehicle license information (which will validate the claimant’s identity and permit the claimant to view wages reported by all recent employers), and bank account information if they choose to have benefit payments direct-deposited into a bank account.