This map shows where N.J. residents are jobless, out of benefits
September 4, 2015
Colleen O’Dea
Tens of thousands, many formerly employed by casinos, have maxed out on their unemployment payments
New Jersey’s 4 million workers may celebrate Labor Day on Monday, but those who are unemployed — particularly those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits — have less to cheer about.
According to data from the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development, nearly 79,000 unemployed New Jerseyans had maxed out of their benefits this year through August 15. The greatest proportion — more than 14,000 — stopped collecting unemployment in March, with a good number of those being former casino employees who lost their jobs when three casinos shut their doors last September.
The largest number of the unemployed who have lost their benefits, 7,619, live in Essex County. But the greatest impact of the losses is in Atlantic and Cape May counties, where the number of people who can no longer collect unemployment amounts to almost 5 percent of the total work force. Again, the casino closures are largely to blame.
Typically, New Jerseyans who lose their jobs can collect unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks, depending on several factors, including how long they had worked prior to being laid off.
Beginning in the midst of the last recession, Congress approved and the president signed payment extensions for the long-term unemployed for five years. That enabled some unemployed people to collect a portion of their former salary for as long as 99 weeks.
