TRENTON — The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) on Thursday released unemployment insurance data for the week ending Oct. 25, 2025, showing a slight increase in new claims amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits totaled 8,767, up 4.9% from the previous week’s 8,357. By comparison, there were 8,347 claims filed during the same week last year. Continued claims, representing the number of weeks of benefits claimed by approved individuals, totaled 90,324, a 1.3% increase from the prior week and 0.7% lower than the same week in 2024.
Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Labor has paused its release of national economic data. In response, NJDOL is relying on internal administrative data to continue providing weekly updates to maintain transparency and support informed decision-making.
“This release represents the Department’s commitment to transparency and informed decision-making,” NJDOL said in its announcement.
The data do not include claims from federal employees furloughed by the shutdown. Since the start of the shutdown on Oct. 1, 2025, NJDOL has received more than 1,800 claims from affected federal workers and an additional 1,500 claims from non-federal workers indirectly impacted.
Federal workers seeking unemployment information can visit MyUnemployment.nj.gov/federal. Additional digital career resources are available through the state’s career information portal at MyCareer.nj.gov.
