NJ layoffs near 10,000 mark as 143 workers cut at White Claw brewery

💼 Nearly 10,000 layoffs announced in NJ by mid-September 2025
🏭 Big names like Mark Anthony Brewing and Claire's make cuts
📉 Companies cite industry slowdowns, sales and restructuring

Will New Jersey stay ahead of the curve in the final months of this year, with less total mass layoffs than 2024?

By mid-September, the number of layoffs announced in New Jersey in 2025 has stacked up to 9,714 across 71 notices through the “Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.”

Last year, more than 13,300 layoffs were announced by less than 80 New Jersey companies combined, public records show.

Several companies made multiple announcements.

Will NJ dodge a December spike in 2025 layoffs?

Of those, about 12% of the total layoffs were announced in the final three months of 2024 — a combined 1,594 by 13 companies.

Not everyone actually wound up out of work, NorthJersey.com reported. After a layoff notice filed for 157 in Wayne at the Metropolitan YMCA, many workers were rehired.

Major layoff announcements surge ahead of holiday season

In the past three months across New Jersey, at least six companies have announced more than 100 layoffs each.

All of these planned cuts go into effect before the year ends, including a company in Union County.

Mark Anthony Brewing opened a Hillside brewery five years ago, with its first production run on June 8th, 2020.

The 440,000-square-foot facility is on North Union Avenue, just north of where Route 78 meets up with the Garden State Parkway.

Last year, the Hillside facility produced 11.7 million cases of beverages including White Claw hard seltzer, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Cayman Jack and MXD Cocktails, according to the Canada-based company’s website.

Hillside’s Mark Anthony Brewery halts production, cuts 143 jobs

It has had a workforce of 170 full-time team members — until now.

In August, 143 layoffs were announced at the plant, leaving a skeleton crew in place.

Operations at the Hillside site will be paused starting in October, the Spirits Business reported. 

“We have temporarily paused operations due to the recent alcohol industry slowdown, and we are very much looking forward to resuming operations at a suitable time in the future,” Mark Anthony Brewing executive vice-president Colin Nolan said in the same report.

“We are a family business and are approaching this transition with care and respect for our team members, offering meaningful support throughout the process,” he continued.

Claire’s closes 7 stores, lays off 155 in NJ

Also in August, Claire’s announced 155 layoffs as it closed a total of seven stores in New Jersey — five Claire’s locations and two of the sister-brand aimed at an older demographic, Icing.

Read More: Claire's cuts back in NJ but keeps at least 20 stores open 

A pending sale appeared to stave off further layoffs at remaining Claire’s stores in the state.

Warehouse hub in Cranbury hit as Essendant cuts 171 jobs

In Middlesex County, where Cranbury has seen the number of warehouses continue to grow, one employer appears to be packing in its operations.

Essendant announced 171 layoffs in New Jersey this month, effective by early December.

The company is a subsidiary of Staples, purchased in 2019 by the same parent company, Sycamore Partners.

The New Jersey cuts are far from alone — similar layoffs have been announced in North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Texas.

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