NJ Department of Labor Reports Weekly Unemployment Insurance Claims
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2025
TRENTON – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) today announced unemployment insurance claims data for the week ending November 8, 2025.
Initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits totaled 12,980 for the week ending November 8, an increase of 34.1 percent compared to the previous week's total of 9,678. This increase resulted, primarily, from seasonal school-related claims as many school districts were closed during the report week. UI initial claims for the comparable week last year totaled a similar 12,103. Continued claims, which represent weeks of benefits claimed by individuals approved for UI, totaled 91,910 for the week ending November 8, which was 2.3 percent greater than the previous week, and 0.9 percent greater than the comparable week last year.
Due to the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Labor is currently unable to release its regular economic data. In response, NJDOL is utilizing internal administrative data to maintain continuity in public reporting to assist with timely labor market insights. This release represents the Department's commitment to transparency and informed decision-making.
This unemployment claims data does not include those federal employees who have applied for unemployment insurance benefits as a result of recent furloughs. Since the start of the shutdown on October 1, 2025, NJDOL has received over 2,050 claims from those impacted federal workers, and from those non-federal workers also impacted by the shutdown.
Federal workers seeking unemployment information should go to .
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