New Jersey Companies Cut Over 3,500 Jobs in Early 2026

More than 3,500 workers lost their jobs in New Jersey through this February. Companies announced mass layoffs across the state. Verizon dismissed 1,319 employees on Friday. Merck let go of 204 workers. Target and Walmart together cut 207 positions.

The telecommunications giant in Basking Ridge completed these cuts on Friday. Workers got word back in November 2025. Last year, the company announced it would eliminate 13,000 jobs worldwide, and the New Jersey reductions affected multiple locations statewide, not just in Basking Ridge.

Merck’s Rahway complex will lose 204 workers. These cuts are scheduled to happen in March and May.

Target plans to dismiss 107 employees in Burlington, Gloucester, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties on May 17. Walmart will reduce its workforce by 100 in Hoboken, effective May 1.

Bristol Myers Squibb in Lawrence Township will lay off 247 workers throughout the year — one of the largest workforce reductions in the state.

Arrow Fastener of Saddle Brook cut 140 jobs. Cigna Evernorth Services of Morris Plains eliminated 134 positions. Scudetto Logistics of Trenton dismissed 120 employees, while JPMorgan Chase of Jersey City also cut 120 workers. AT&T in Bedminster will remove 75 positions from its payroll. Eddie Bauer is dismissing 58 employees from sites in Bergen, Morris, Camden, Monmouth, and Somerset counties.

The state’s WARN notice archive revealed the February announcements. Federal law requires companies with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days’ notice before a layoff that affects 50 people or more at one site. New Jersey mandates additional requirements, including severance pay.

The state saw 16,758 job losses in 2025, according to Patch. The fourth quarter of 2025 accounted for 5,429 cuts. Layoff notices in that quarter included 4,221 job reductions scheduled for completion in 2026.

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