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Wage & Hour and Contract Compliance

New Jersey Call Center Jobs Act

Call center employees working on desktop computers in call center.

The New Jersey Call Center Jobs Act (the Act) requires each employer with a call center in the New Jersey to notify the Commissioner of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development when either of the following triggering events occur:

  1. When the staffing level of the call center falls below the number of employees capable of handling 65 percent of customer volume of telephone calls, emails or other electronic communications originating in New Jersey or an account with a service address in New Jersey, when measured against the previous six-month average volume of those operations, or

  2. When the call center is relocated from New Jersey to one or more foreign countries, or when the employer transfers one or more facilities or operating units comprising at least 20 percent of the call center’s total operating volume of telephone calls, emails, or other electronic communications, when measured against the previous 12-month average volume of those operations, from New Jersey to one or more foreign countries. In this instance, notification must occur at least 90 days prior to the relocation or transfer of operations.

The Commissioner is required under the Act to compile and maintain a list of all employers that provide notification. That list also includes employers who should have provided notification, but who the Department discovers upon investigation did not provide notification. An employer remains on the list for a period of up to 36 months, as determined by the Commissioner.

The Act also empowers the Commissioner to assess and collect an administrative penalty against employers who should have, but did not provide the required notification, in an amount not to exceed $7,500 for each day that the employer fails to provide the notification. Whenever the Department finds cause to place an employer on the list or to impose an administrative penalty, the employer has a right to an administrative appeal.

Employers with a call center in New Jersey who are required under the Act to provide notification to the Commissioner should provide that notification by completing this form.

Additional guidance is contained within the Department’s rules that implement the Act; N.J.A.C. 12:71, which can be viewed here.

If you have any questions regarding the Act or the rules, you may contact the Department’s Division of Wage and Hour Compliance at (609) 292-2305.