
NJDOL celebrates a year of enhanced worker protections and employer growth, sets ambitious goals for remainder of Murphy administration
NEW JERSEY – As 2025 gets underway, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) is charging ahead with a dynamic agenda to further enhance agency operations and strengthen worker protections.
Reflecting on a year of innovative initiatives that resulted in a 44 percent increase in back wages owed to workers over the prior year, as well as many other significant accomplishments, NJDOL is poised to build on this momentum as the Murphy Administration enters a new year.
“Though the Murphy Administration may be entering its final year, the incredible work our dedicated teams have put in are building a legacy that will improve services for workers for generations to come,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “The substantial rise in back wages owed to workers is just one example of our numerous triumphs for fairness, ensuring workers get the pay and benefits they rightfully deserve. Our mission is to leave this department with the modern tools, resources, and processes required to best serve the Garden State’s growing workforce.”
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE (UI) MODERNIZATION
In 2024, NJDOL paid $2.48 billion in UI benefits to over 440,000 individual claimants. Agents answered about 540,000 calls, and in-person appointments at local One-Stop Career Centers totaled almost 137,000.
A new UI intake application debuted in May of last year, showcasing a simpler and more intuitive process, a reduced number of questions, and conditional logic that personalizes information for the claimant based on their specific circumstances, making it more accessible and user friendly.
In addition, a new cloud-based phone system allows for self-service and has dramatically reduced callback times from up to one hour to just 90 seconds.
WORKER BENEFITS
The Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Family Leave Insurance (FLI) programs have grown substantially throughout the Murphy Administration, supporting workers during critical times.
TDI distributed approximately $2.94 billion between 2018 and 2023. Increased outreach efforts have led to an 84-percent increase in FLI applications from 2018 to 2023, during which NJDOL distributed approximately $1.65 billion in benefits.
The Cultivating Access, Rights, and Equity (CARE) grant program doubled its funding to community-based organizations since its inaugural round in 2022, awarding $2.2 million to 24 organizations last year. NJDOL and its grantee partners have reached over 100,000 workers in more than a dozen languages about worker protections and benefits.
WORKER PROTECTIONS
With the Garden State tallying close to 4.4 million workers, it’s important that each is protected while on the job.
The Division of Wage and Hour Compliance assessed over $56.6 million in back wages, fees, and penalties in 2024. Underscoring the Murphy Administration’s commitment to ensuring fair compensation for workers, more than $39 million was assessed in back wages in 2024 alone, compared to just over $8 million in 2018.
In one case, NJDOL secured nearly $7.5 million in back wages for 865 utility workers who helped restore electrical services in New Jersey after Hurricane Isaias in 2020.
The Wage and Hour unit has issued 179 stop-work orders since Governor Murphy enhanced worker protection in 2019, including the second and third instances of company-wide notices to halt all work.
Since a first-of-its-kind misclassification penalty was implemented in September 2021, $10 million has been assessed as due directly to more than 11,500 misclassified workers.
A Strategic Enforcement initiative focusing on the laundromat industry resulted in an enhanced compliance agreement affecting more than 220 employees of Brite Services Inc. of Paterson.
NJDOL also launched a joint initiative with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to combat violations of federal and state child labor laws.
Effective August 15, 2024, registered contractors performing public work are required to report certified payroll records via the New Jersey Wage Hub (NJ Wage Hub), an online portal that makes it easier for employers to comply with state labor laws; advances worker protections on public job sites; and improves transparency around fair wages. NJ Wage Hub has about 3,300 contractors and 600 public bodies registered, with 120,000 certified payrolls available for view across more than 13,000 public projects.
The Workplace Accountability in Labor List (The WALL) continues to name companies that violate worker rights, with well over 200 employers currently listed who collectively owe $23 million – either directly to their workers or to the state for unpaid taxes or contributions.
The Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights went into effect July 1, 2024, establishing a broad range of rights and employment protections, such as anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rights, privacy rights, and written contract requirements for domestic workers who provide in-home services to private households, including child care, house cleaning, care for elderly or disabled individuals, cooking, and more.
The Division of Public Safety and Occupational Safety and Health (PSOSH) conducted a focused effort on enforcement of the statewide Panic Device law that helps protect housekeeping and room service staff who work alone in guest rooms. PSOSH has reached out to industry partners to raise awareness of the law, including hotel and hospitality associations, unions, and regulatory agencies.
INTER-AGENCY ACTION
NJDOL continues to work closely with the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General to bring justice to workers.
In September 2024, a joint lawsuit was filed against Jersey Tractor Trailer Training (JTTT) for misclassifying at least 30 driving instructors as independent contractors. The next month, a suit was filed against TransCare LLC, a medical transport company, for misclassifying at least 52 drivers.
Settlements were reached in employee misclassification cases with Horseless Carriage Carrier Inc. for $455,000, with Publishers Circulation Fulfillment for $2.7 million, and with NJ Penn Logistics LLC for nearly $300,000.
APPRENTICESHIP AND JOBSEEKER SERVICES
Since 2018, the Division of Workforce Development has reached 4.3 million workers through in-person and virtual services. More than 400,000 workers have been helped directly by NJDOL staff.
MyCareer.NJ.gov has become an essential tool for career seekers and has been recognized as a best-in-class AI-powered recommendation engine generating recommendations on job openings, training opportunities, and career transitions. In the first nine months since its launch last March, the site has reached 210,000 users.
New Jersey has invested over $73 million to grow apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and work-based learning programs, resulting in a 135 percent increase in apprenticeship programs and a 40 percent rise in active apprentices.
In fiscal year 2024, NJDOL awarded more than $8.5 million through the New Jersey Builders Utilization Initiative for a Labor Diversity (NJBUILD) grant, marking the highest amount awarded in a single fiscal year in the program’s 15-year history.
The Fund My Future program, which stemmed from recommendations by Governor Murphy’s Future of Work Task Force, was launched in September 2024 and provides funds to organizations to offer career coaching and services for selected New Jersey residents. The program is expected to serve 360 participants with its initial round of funding totaling $9 million.
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) has made 118,000 connections from 2018 to 2023, and also supported nearly 17,000 workers with disabilities with successful competitive integrated employment through the Competitive Integrated Employment pilot. USDOL announced New Jersey as one of 14 states to participate in its National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network for federal fiscal year 2025, enabling state agencies to build capacity, develop policies, and provide ongoing mentoring to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
EMPLOYER SERVICES AND GROWTH
NJDOL’s Industry Partnerships team engaged more than 450 businesses in 2024, providing valuable career awareness events and training opportunities across various sectors, and driving the development of new apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in manufacturing, education, and offshore wind.
Since 2018, New Jersey has seen a 24 percent growth in private worksites, with a remarkable 35 percent increase among those with less than five employees.
LOOKING AHEAD
NJDOL plans to continue focusing on technology modernization and service improvement in the coming year. A key objective is the enhancement of systems across the board, including UI, TDI, FLI, Wage and Hour mechanisms, and Workforce Development operations, and making customer-facing systems more intuitive, accessible, and responsive while prioritizing increased security to protect sensitive data and maintain public trust. In addition to technological upgrades, NJDOL is committed to enhancing job training programs and employer connections.
“Our objective is resolute – to create lasting improvements that will benefit New Jerseyans for years to come,” said Commissioner Asaro-Angelo. “Through continued innovation, collaboration, and dedication, we are laying the groundwork for a stronger and fairer New Jersey.”