.png)
QUICK FACTS!!
How a Job Guarantee Can Work in New Jersey!!
.png)
1. Create Job Guarantee Pilot Programs
Start by launching Job Guarantee pilot programs in up to 15 New Jersey communities that have been hit hardest by unemployment and low wages. Ensuring that the jobs address important community needs that are underprovided by the private sector.
2. Provide Living Wage Jobs + Benefits
Every adult living in a pilot community will have the right to a guaranteed job. These jobs will pay at least $20 an hour, include paid family and sick leave, and health coverage just like what state employees and elected officials receive.
3. More Power for Working People
A Job Guarantee would reduce the fear of unemployment, giving all workers more leverage to demand better pay, safer working conditions, and fair treatment on the job.
4. Raise Wages Everywhere
A Job Guarantee sets a new standard! If employers want to keep workers, they’ll have to match the wages and benefits that the Job Guarantee program provides. That means higher pay and better jobs across the board, especially for those in low-wage industries.
5. Training for Real Opportunity
The Job Guarantee program will include job training and skill-building, helping people step into meaningful work. Whether you’re changing careers, coming back into the workforce, or just need a fair shot at a better job.
6. End Labor Shortages
By growing the pool of trained, employed, and job-ready individuals through the Job Guarantee program, from which private employers can recruit during workforce shortages.
7. Reward Businesses That Step Up
Private employers who hire from the Job Guarantee program — and pay fair wages with good benefits — will qualify for state tax credits. Companies that do right by their workers should be rewarded.
8. Protect Union and Public Sector Jobs
A Job Guarantee will strengthen, not replace, public sector and union jobs. Job Guarantee employees will not be placed in unionized workplaces without the union’s consent and collective bargaining over their terms and conditions of employment.
The elections are over! Now we need the newly elected state leaders to pass a Job Guarantee to provide real economic relief and opportunities for working people in New Jersey.
Read our "Job Guarantee Quick Facts" and sign the petition to show New Jersey state leaders that voters are united around a Job Guarantee!
Here's how a Job Guarantee can work in New Jersey...
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How Much Will a Job Guarantee Pilot Program Cost in New Jersey?
Implementing a full-scale State Job Guarantee that provides $20 per hour plus benefits for roughly 116,000 unemployed New Jersey residents would cost about $5.36 billion annually. However, a pilot program would require far less. The New Jersey Legislature could tailor the program’s size to fit budget priorities. For example, employing 1,000 residents would cost an estimated $46.2 million per year, only 0.08% of the state’s $58.8 billion 2026 budget.
A Job Guarantee could ultimately save taxpayer dollars by reducing reliance on public assistance programs, since unemployment is linked to issues like homelessness, poor health, and crime. In 2025, New Jersey spent $9.71 billion on such programs—$4.4 billion more than a full-scale Job Guarantee would cost. The pilot’s purpose is to prove the model’s success and persuade the federal government to invest in a permanent Job Guarantee program that would be expanded in New Jersey and other states across the country.
Achieving that vision will require electing candidates in 2026 and 2028 who strongly support a national Job Guarantee.
How can New Jersey pay for a Job Guarantee?
The New Jersey Legislature recently passed a $58.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026, which includes a $6.7 billion surplus. This surplus could be used to pay for a State Job Guarantee pilot program, based on the cost estimates and scenarios stated above.
How Does a Job Guarantee Create Jobs?
State and local agencies will be required to work with residents, community groups, and labor unions to identify local needs and suggest new job opportunities. The kinds of jobs created through a Job Guarantee will depend on the creativity and commitment of public workers, public agencies, nonprofits, and local residents. The only real limit is our imagination in finding new ways to meet human and community needs.
What Types of Jobs Can a Job Guarantee Create?
A Job Guarantee would put people to work doing the things our communities need most. That means building and fixing affordable housing, schools, and public buildings; providing quality childcare, healthcare, and education; restoring rundown or vacant properties; and expanding food programs and early learning centers so no family is left behind. It also means creating good jobs to clean up neighborhoods, protect the environment, and prepare for future storms and disasters.
The program could even fund work-study jobs for students, help recent graduates get a start in their careers, and support local artists and cultural projects—like the programs that built parks, murals, and theaters during the Great Depression. Every community in New Jersey could have the people, skills, and creativity it needs to thrive.
Does a Job Guarantee Cause Inflation?
A Job Guarantee would help reduce some of the factors that drive prices up, such as labor shortages, but it’s not a cure-all. Other tools, such as tax, spending, and interest rate policies, would still play a role in managing inflation overall.
CALL TO ACTION: SIGN THE PETITION!
Sign the petition to show New Jersey state leaders that voters are united around a Job Guarantee and urge them to pass this policy into law!
For a more in-depth analysis of how a Job Guarantee can work in
New Jersey, read our "New Jersey Job Guarantee Memo"