Economy

How many people are laid off in each month?

Updated monthly
About 62,000 in July 2025. This includes all terminations of employment by an employer — called layoffs and discharges — such as permanent layoffs, temporary layoffs, and terminations because of mergers, downsizing, closings, or employee performance.

62K

people were laid off or discharged in New Jersey in July 2025

447K

layoffs and discharges in New Jersey in 2025 so far
Layoffs are a constant in the labor market — from 2001 to 2019, there was an average of 700,000 layoffs and discharges a year in New Jersey. Increases in layoffs often reflect recessions or other economic disruption. For example, record-setting layoffs and discharges occurred in March and April of 2020 because of COVID-19. So far in 2025, layoffs and discharges total 447,000 in New Jersey, which is 9.8% higher than the same period in 2024.

In New Jersey, layoffs were 9.8% higher by July 2025 than by July 2024.

Cumulative monthly layoffs and discharges in New Jersey, seasonally adjusted

Another way to consider this data is to look at the layoff and discharge rate. This puts layoffs and discharges in the context of the total number of people working by showing layoffs and discharges as a percent of employed people who were laid off during the given time period. This rate allows for better comparisons across time, industries, and places by adjusting for differences in the size of the working population.

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New Jersey’s layoff rate increased between June and July 2025.

Seasonally adjusted US and New Jersey monthly layoff and discharge rates, December 2000–July 2025

In July 2025, 1.4% of people employed in New Jersey were laid off or discharged, a higher rate than June. Compared to the national numbers, the July 2025 rate in New Jersey was higher, meaning a higher share of the New Jersey working population was laid off or dismissed in July 2025 compared to the US overall.
Average layoff and discharge rates are also useful to consider because they smooth out short-term fluctuations and clarify long-term trends.

In July 2025, New Jersey’s 12-month average layoff rate was higher than the US average.

12-month rolling average layoff and discharge rates in the US and New Jersey, November 2001–July 2025

During the first 20 years of data, the 12-month average layoff and discharge rate in the US peaked at the end of the Great Recession in June 2009 at 1.8% and during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020 at 2.4%. New Jersey’s 12-month average layoff rate was the same as the US rate in June 2009 and 0.4 percentage points higher in May 2020.
As of July 2025, New Jersey’s 12-month average layoff rate was higher than the US overall. At 1.4%, New Jersey’s average layoff and discharge rate was the same compared to one year prior (August 2023–July 2024 average). The rate increased 0.2 percentage points compared to two years prior (August 2022–July 2023 average).

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.