Trenton, NJ – More than 11,000 jobs have been affected by WARN notices filed in New Jersey since the start of the year, as companies across the technology, pharmaceutical, retail, financial, logistics, and hospitality sectors announced layoffs, office closures, and corporate relocations.
The filings, submitted under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act and published by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, show that some of the state’s largest employers are shrinking their New Jersey footprints while others are consolidating operations outside the state.
Related: New Jersey, WARN Notices, layoffs, New Jersey jobs, New Jersey Department of Labor
Headquarters relocations lead largest job losses
Among the year’s largest filings, Samsung Electronics America announced it will eliminate 739 positions in Englewood Cliffs by late September as the company relocates its U.S. headquarters to Texas. Samsung SDS America also filed a notice affecting another 179 workers at its Ridgefield Park operations.
Mars Wrigley disclosed plans to close its longtime U.S. headquarters in Newark, affecting 307 employees as operations are consolidated into the company’s global headquarters in Chicago. The move marks another high-profile corporate headquarters departure from New Jersey.
2026 New Jersey WARN Notices Filed Through July
| Company | Municipality | Month Filed | Effective Date(s) | Employees Affected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTB Hospitality | Paramus | March | 3/13/26 | 62 |
| UBS | Weehawken | March | 6/22/26–6/24/26 | 103 |
| JPMorgan Chase | Jersey City | March | 6/20/26 | 134 |
| Labcorp Raritan | Raritan | March | 7/3/26–7/17/26 | 83 |
| Novartis | East Hanover | March | 6/26/26–11/27/26 | 114 |
| Alan Ritchey, Inc. | Phillipsburg | April | 7/17/26 | 176 |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | Lawrence Township | April | 7/16/26–12/31/26 | 206 |
| AT&T | Bedminster | April | 5/4/26 & 5/19/26 | 87 |
| Novartis | East Hanover | April | 7/24/26–11/20/26 | 60 |
| FreshRealm, Inc. | Linden | April | 7/27/26–8/31/26 | 628 |
| Reckitt Benckiser LLC | Nutley | April | 3/2/26–3/18/27 | 57 |
| Federal Express Corporation | Union | April | 8/3/26 | 50 |
| Fulton Bank | Parsippany | May | 7/31/26 & 10/2/26 | 95 |
| Accupac | Lakewood | May | 8/3/26–12/31/26 | 260 |
| Danone North America | Bridgeton | May | 8/4/26 & 11/2/26 | 114 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton | Somerset | May | 8/1/26–8/5/26 | 90 |
| Verizon | Basking Ridge | May | 8/7/26 | 121 |
| Spirit Airlines | Newark | May | 5/2/26 | 201 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton | Parsippany | May | 8/14/26 | 54 |
| JPMorgan Chase | Jersey City | May | 8/3/26 | 51 |
| Amicus Therapeutics | Princeton | May | 8/7/26–10/30/26 | 58 |
| Barclays | Whippany | May | 8/10/26–9/10/26 | 64 |
| Acme Markets | Edgewater | May | 8/15/26 | 115 |
| Novartis Group | East Hanover | May | 8/21/26 | 76 |
| Prudential Insurance Company of America | Newark | May | 7/17/26 | 53 |
| Meta | Statewide | May | 8/20/26 | 74 |
| Johnson & Johnson | New Brunswick | May | 8/21/26 | 86 |
| Merck & Co. | Rahway | June | 9/4/26 | 88 |
| Optum Select Management Inc. | Somerset | June | 8/26/26 | 17 |
| Optum Care Inc. | Rutherford | June | 8/26/26 | 5 |
| Optum Services Inc. | Basking Ridge | June | 8/26/26 | 36 |
| UBS | Weehawken | June | 8/26/26 | 65 |
| Citibank, N.A. | Hudson & Bergen Counties | June | 6/28/26 | 68 |
| AT&T | Cumberland County | June | 9/15/26 | 138 |
| Digital Room LLC | Saddle Brook | June | 9/16/26 | 69 |
| Verizon Corporate Resources Group LLC | Basking Ridge | June | 9/18/26 | 35 |
| Verizon Corporate Resources Group LLC | Basking Ridge | June | 8/7/26 | 156 |
| Automatic Data Processing (ADP) | Roseland | June | 9/25/26 | 76 |
| International Paper (Barrington Box Plant) | Barrington | June | 9/24/26 | 126 |
| Samsung SDS America, Inc. | Ridgefield Park | June | 10/1/26 | 179 |
| Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel | Atlantic City | July | 10/1/26 | 99 |
| Fusion Transport LLC | Piscataway | July | 10/1/26 | 79 |
| Notions Marketing | Gloucester County | July | 7/2/26 | 179 |
| Winfit LLC | Mercer County | July | 7/5/26 | 5 |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | East Hanover | July | 10/2/26 | 322 |
| JPMorgan Chase | Jersey City | July | 7/8/26 | 173 |
| The Cannabist Company | Vineland | July | 10/11/26 | 86 |
| Mars Wrigley Confectionery US, LLC | Newark | July | 10/16/26 | 307 |
| Samsung Electronics America, Inc. | Englewood Cliffs | July | 9/30/26 | 739 |
| Verizon Corporate Resources Group LLC | Basking Ridge | July | 10/16/26 | 282 |
| Prudential Insurance Company of America | Newark | July | 9/18/26 | 89 |
| PetVet Care Centers LLC | Egg Harbor Township | July | 10/8/26 | 18 |
| BASF Corporation | Florham Park | July | 11/1/26–12/31/26 | 62 |
Total employees affected by WARN notices listed above: 6,996.
Pharmaceutical and financial sectors continue restructuring
New Jersey’s pharmaceutical industry has also seen substantial workforce reductions. Novartis filed multiple WARN notices during the year, including 322 layoffs scheduled for October at its East Hanover campus, following earlier filings affecting hundreds of additional employees.
Major Corporate Departures & Headquarters Closures
- Samsung Electronics America: Cutting 739 jobs in Englewood Cliffs by late September 2026 as it relocates its U.S. headquarters to Texas. Sister division Samsung SDS America also cut 179 jobs in Ridgefield Park.
- Mars Wrigley: Shutting down its longtime U.S. headquarters in Newark (affecting 307 employees) by October 2026 to merge operations into its Chicago global headquarters.
Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare
- Novartis: Eliminated 250 positions earlier in the spring and added another 322 cuts scheduled at its East Hanover hub by October 2026.
- Merck & Co.: Cut 88 jobs at its Rahway biopharmaceutical complex effective September 2026, extending previous restructuring rounds.
- Optum (UnitedHealth Group): Disclosed cumulative cuts affecting 58 total workers across subsidiaries in Basking Ridge, Somerset, and Rutherford.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ: Slashing 242 jobs tied to its Newark facilities.
Retail, Logistics & Finance
- Amazon: Cut over 870 positions statewide driven heavily by the winding down and closure of Amazon Fresh physical storefronts.
- Verizon Corporate Resources Group: Filed to eliminate 282 positions at its Basking Ridge/corporate footprint by mid-October 2026.
- JPMorgan Chase: Slashed a cumulative 477 positions across four separate rounds in Jersey City through mid-2026.
- International Paper: Closed a Camden County box facility, resulting in 126 layoffs.
- Macy’s Retail Holdings: Shuttered multiple locations including Paramus, Ramsey, and Livingston, impacting nearly 90 workers
Merck & Co. reported 88 job cuts at its Rahway facility, while Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amicus Therapeutics, Reckitt Benckiser, BASF, and Labcorp also filed notices affecting workers at locations across the state.
The financial sector has experienced continued reductions as well. JPMorgan Chase filed four separate WARN notices in Jersey City totaling 477 positions, while Verizon Corporate Resources Group announced multiple rounds of layoffs in Basking Ridge totaling 282 additional employees in July after earlier filings. UBS, Barclays, Citibank, Prudential, ADP, and Fulton Bank also reported workforce reductions.
Retail, logistics, and hospitality employers cut jobs
Retail and logistics companies accounted for thousands more affected workers during the first seven months of the year. Amazon eliminated more than 870 positions statewide, largely tied to the closure of Amazon Fresh stores, while FreshRealm announced 628 layoffs at its Linden facility.
International Paper will close its Barrington box plant, eliminating 126 jobs, and Macy’s announced store closures in Paramus, Ramsey, and Livingston affecting nearly 90 employees. Spirit Airlines, Federal Express, Accupac, Acme Markets, Fusion Transport, and Notions Marketing also filed WARN notices.
Hotels and hospitality businesses reported additional layoffs, including the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Somerset, and Embassy Suites by Hilton Parsippany.
What happens next
WARN notices provide advance notice of qualifying layoffs and facility closures but do not always result in every listed position being permanently eliminated. Companies may modify staffing plans, delay reductions, or reassign employees before the effective dates.
Additional filings are expected throughout the remainder of the year as employers continue adjusting operations in response to changing business conditions.
Why it matters
The increase in WARN notices comes as New Jersey’s unemployment rate remains above the national average despite recent improvement. While the state’s jobless rate fell to 4.5% in June, continued workforce reductions at major employers could affect regional labor markets, local tax bases, and communities that depend on large corporate campuses for employment.
About this report
This article is based on WARN notices filed with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development through July. Under federal law, covered employers generally must provide advance notice before qualifying mass layoffs, plant closures, or significant workforce reductions. The filings identify planned employment actions but may not reflect final staffing outcomes.
You can see the complete active WARN notice list here.
Note: This total reflects the WARN notices included in your state filing list through July. It does not include additional layoffs you referenced separately (such as Amazon Fresh store closures and Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey reductions) unless those were filed as separate WARN notices or are counted elsewhere. It does not include jobs lost earlier in the year, filed in 2025 which is where the 11,000 figure was derived.
