NJ Layoffs Continue To Mount With Major Cuts Announced In April

Job losses are continuing to rise in New Jersey in 2026, with more than 2,200 cuts announced in April, according to the state Department of Labor.

Nearly half of the surge in layoffs is connected with the Hudson Regional Health takeover of three hospitals in North Jersey.

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The 2,240 layoffs announced in April bring the total for 2026 to 7,025, a 59.8 percent increase in layoffs over the 4,203 in job cuts in the first four months of 2025, according to NJ WARN data.

Hudson Regional Health submitted a WARN notice to the state saying 967 jobs will be cut at Bayonne University Hospital, but the company told Patch the layoff notices are procedural as part of the change in ownership.

The union for nurses and health care workers at the hospital, Health Professional and Allied Employees, said staff members have received layoff notices and they believe the layoffs will happen in spite of the company's statement.

"This is an employer that refuses to follow law and has gone back on its word to workers, to the union and to the communities where its facilities operate several times over the past year," said Michael Allen, a union spokesman.

Under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification law, a company with 100 employees or more must give workers 60 days' notice of a layoff affecting 50 people or more at a single site. In New Jersey, there are additional requirements, including mandatory severance pay.

The second largest portion of the layoffs comes from FreshRealm, which announced it is cutting 637 jobs as it has filed for bankruptcy. The fresh foods company has filed for Chapter 11 banruptcy protection following "a significant ingredient supply disruption in 2025 that materially impacted the company's operations and financial performance," the company said.

Bristol Myers Squibb, which has cut more than 1,700 positions since January 2025, has announced 206 more layoffs that are slated for July through December. The cuts are part of the company's plans to save $2 billion by the end of 2027, under plans released in February.

Alan Ritchey, a shipping company based in Phillipsburg, is cutting 176 positions due to the loss of a contract with the United States Postal Service. Those cuts will be finalized by July 17, the company said.

AT&T said it is cutting 87 jobs, with the cuts beginning Monday and continuing through May 19. Those layoffs are in addition to 75 job cuts announced in February that also are to be completed by May 19. The company has been cutting positions as it takes its copper wire-based network out of service, according to its latest earnings report.

Novartis, which laid off hundreds of workers at its East Hanover site in 2025, announced it will cut 60 more jobs, with the layoffs to be completed between July 24 and Nov. 20, according to the company's WARN notice. The Swiss drug maker produces Keysimpta, which treats multiple sclerosis, and is researching several medications for autoimmune disorders, including lupus.

Reckitt Benckiser, which announced in March that it was cutting 62 jobs, added 57 layoffs to the cutbacks that began March 2 and are to be completed in March 2027.

FedEx announced it is cutting 50 jobs by the beginning of August. The parcel delivery company is closing more than 475 facilities across the United States and Canada by 2027 as it consolidates its services, Supply Chain Dive reported.

One potential set of layoffs that was announced in late April is currently on hold. The Lakewood Township School District had submitted a WARN notice announcing its intent to cut 164 positions, primarily paraprofessionals who provide assistance to students in the classroom. However, those layoffs are in limbo after the district's Board of Education rejected the 2026-27 school budget because of those proposed cuts, the Asbury Park Press reported.