[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 3509

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED JUNE 26, 2024

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  PAUL D. MORIARTY

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires employers to include in job posting whether posting is for existing position and sets additional job posting requirements.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Labor Committee on March 3, 2025, with amendments.

  


An Act concerning job postings and supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  An employer 1or third-party job posting company1 who publicly advertises a job posting shall include in the posting:

     (1)   a statement disclosing whether the posting is for an existing vacancy or not, and if the posting is for an existing vacancy, an estimated timeframe of when the position will be filled1, or, if the posting is not for an existing vacancy, a disclaimer that there is not an existing vacancy, provided that the posting and disclaimer shall not be permitted unless the employer has, within the preceding 12 months, listed the same position not less than three times or hired not less than six employees for similar roles, and provided further that the posting and disclaimer shall expire after 90 days and the posting shall be removed1; and

     (2)   any other information relating to the position as deemed appropriate by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.

     b.    1For job postings that are for existing job vacancies, employers and third-party job posting companies shall comply with the following requirements:1

     (1) When a position for which an employer has publicly advertised has been filled, the employer shall remove any posting or advertisement made by the employer within two weeks of the position having been filled 1or within 30 days of the original posting, whichever is later1.  If the employer is aware or should reasonably be aware that a third-party job posting company posted the position independently of the employer, the employer shall notify the third-party company that the position has been filled. 

     (2)   If a third-party job posting company knows or has reason to know that a post for a particular position has been filled or has otherwise expired, the third-party job posting company shall remove the post within two weeks of the date it knows or has reason to know of the position being filled 1or within 30 days of the original posting, whichever is later1.

     c.     If an employer 1[interviews] conducts an interview with1 an applicant for a publicly advertised job posting 1for an existing job vacancy1, the employer shall, within the timeframe provided in the job advertisement, provide the applicant with an affirmative response as to whether the position has been filled, or if the position has not been filled, whether the employer is still considering the applicant for the position.  If the employer notifies the applicant that the applicant is still in consideration for the position, the employer shall provide the applicant with an estimated timeframe of when the employer will make a final decision as to the position.

     d.    The Department of Labor and Workforce Development shall have the authority to conduct audits of employer and third-party job posting company practices to determine ongoing violations of this act.  Any person aggrieved by a violation of this act may report the violation to the department.

     e.     Any 1[person] employer or third-party job posting company1 violating any of the provisions of this act shall be liable to a penalty of not 1[less than $1,000 nor]1 more than 1[$5,000] $300 for a first offense, and not more than $600 for a subsequent offense,1 to be collected in a civil action by a summary proceeding under the "Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999," P.L.1999, c.274 (C.2A:58-10 et seq.).  Each week that a job advertisement is posted in violation of this act shall constitute a separate and distinct violation, except during the time an appeal from the summary proceeding may be taken or is pending.

     f.     The commissioner shall adopt and promulgate, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

     1g.   For the purposes of this section:

     (1) A position shall be regarded as filled on the first day that a selected candidate begins the performance of job duties under the terms of employment.

     (2)   “Interview” means a formal or informal meeting or conversation between an employer or representative of the employer and a job applicant that is conducted with the intention of assessing the candidate’s qualifications, skill, or suitability for a specific position, provided that “interview” does not include preliminary screenings or assessments of information about a job applicant, including information submitted by the applicant, which is conducted by human resources personnel or other representatives of the employer solely to verify basic qualifications or interest in the position or to determine whether to interview the applicant.1

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.