It was a busy January 2020 in Trenton, with the state enacting
several new employment laws, with more apparently on the way. This
is in addition to the slew of new laws adopted in 2019 impacting
New Jersey employers. Here's a summary of recent employment law
developments in New Jersey just one month into 2020, a look at what
may be on the way, and a recap of 2019's changes.
2020 ... So Far
Independent Contractor Misclassification
Governor Phil Murphy has made rooting out independent contractor
misclassification a priority in his administration. Although
efforts stalled last year to codify a more stringent version of the
"ABC test," which is used to determine independent
contractor status under various New Jersey laws, the state has
recently enacted several other laws aimed at discouraging and
punishing the misclassification of employees as independent
contractors. (The state's efforts to modify the ABC test are
not dead, as discussed below.) In January 2020,
