Mass Layoffs Will Require Severance Pay for New Jersey Employers

Employers carrying out mass layoffs in New Jersey will have to provide severance pay beginning in April, under an unusual revision to the state’s layoff-notice law.

State lawmakers first passed the changes to New Jersey’s law in January 2020, but postponed the effective date during the Covid-19 public health emergency. The legislation (A4768) that Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed Tuesday lets those changes, including the severance pay requirement, take effect in 90 days.

• The new law requires employers to give 90 days of notice to workers who will be part of a layoff affecting 50 or more ...