Paul Sancya / The Associated Press

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More than 11,000 workers at 55 companies in New Jersey received notices in 2018 that their jobs were in jeopardy as employers restructured and reduced payrolls, according to records kept by the state Department of Labor. In one case, a major well-known company headquartered in New Jersey shut down outright, accounting for a big chunk of the state's job losses last year.

The job cuts hit multiple sectors including retailers, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare.

The layoff notices filed with the state are required under WARN, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. WARN notices must be issued to employees in advance of potential large-scale layoffs and often do not represent the final number of job losses.

In some cases, WARN notices are issued when a company is sold or merges and the employees must re-apply for positions. In others, workers reciving layoff notices may later accept new positions at the company in another office or another state, affecting the final number of jobs lost.

New Jersey's labor department posts the WARN notices throughout the year on its website. NJ Advance Media has attempted to contact all of the companies listed below and provided final layoff numbers, when available.

Here are the companies with the most layoff notices this year, ranked.

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RAB Lighting - 11 workers

A Northvale-based company that initially announced more than 100 cuts ended up laying off just 11 employees, according to Ed Spruck, a spokesman for RAB Lighting.

The 70-year-old company manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting, according to its website. It was named a top 50 fastest growing company in the state in 2015 by NJBIZ.

Those 11 cuts came as RAB moved its northeast distribution center to Cranbury in Middlesex County. More than 100 others were given jobs at the new facility.

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IQE RF - 22 workers

IQE, which supplies products for the semiconductor industry, announced 22 jobs would be cut from its Somerset office by Jan. 31, 2019.

The company has offices in Europe, Asia and the United States. Its devices are used in technologies like wireless communications, solar power, infrared systems, LED lighting and lasers, according to IQE's website.

A request for comment on the layoffs was not returned.

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Allied Beverage Group, LLC - 39 workers

This alcoholic beverage group provides wine and spirits to package stores, restaurants, hotels, taverns and clubs throughout the state, according to its website.

Allied Beverage Group has two offices, one in Carlstadt and another in Mount Laurel. Thirty-seven potential cuts from Mount Laurel were announced in a December WARN notice, slated to take place by Feb. 2, 2019.

The company did not immediately return a request for comment.

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TE Connectivity - 43 workers

Forty-three jobs were cut from TE Connectivity's operations in Budd Lake by the end of August, a spokesperson confirmed.

The company is an engineering partner that works with electric vehicles, aircraft, digital factories, and smart homes, according to its website.

The cuts were intended to "streamline" manufacturing and engineering processes.

"We recognize the impact on the affected employees, who were provided severance pay, benefits continuation and outplacement services to assist them in their transition," the spokesperson said,

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Cintas - 49 workers

Cintas moved its Bellville location to Yonkers, N.Y., resulting in the layoff of 49 employees.

All employees were encouraged to apply to open positions in the company, but a spokeswoman could not provide how many workers found new roles.

"We're committed to treating people fairly," she said. "Employees had the opportunity to apply to other locations, and we provided a severance."

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Apple - 52 workers

An Apple store at The Pier in Atlantic City closed its 12-year-old store in the area due to a decline in tourism and visitors to the area, laying off 52 employees.

All 52 workers were offered other jobs within Apple, but the company did not provide how many accepted other roles.

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FMC Corporation - 53 workers

In March 2018, FMC announced it would combine the heritage FMC in Ewing and heritage DuPont in Newark, Delaware, into one headquarters at the Stine Research Center in Delaware.

The WARN notice the company filed up to 53 employees faced layoffs in September, though the company said eligible employees were relocated to Delaware.

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GEO Reentry Services - 54

This center in Newark, which provides re-entry rehabilitation services to criminal offenders, announced 54 layoffs in June.

The facility has a capacity of 240, according to its website. The center did not return a request for comment on the layoffs.

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JP Morgan Chase - 58 workers

J.P. Morgan Chase & Company laid off 58 employees of its consumer and community banking team, a spokesman said.

At least eight employees accepted internal roles within the firm, and all employees were notified in June of their termination. A reason was not given for the layoffs.

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Tory Burch - 64 workers

Luxury designer Tory Burch announced 64 layoffs in Jamesburg by the end of July.

The company did not respond to a request for comment on the cuts.

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MedPlast, Inc. - 67

As MedPlast moved to close its West Berlin office, it announced 67 employees would be cut by late June in a WARN notice.

The company had plans to consolidate its New Jersey operations, moving business to the South Plainfield.

The company could not be reached for comment on the West Berlin jobs, and if any were transferred to the other office.

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Restaurant Associates - 73

These East Rutherford company announced 73 job cuts by the end of July.

The company could not be reached for comment.

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Preferred Display, Inc. - 75 workers

Preferred Display, with an office in Clifton, provides design and engineering services for cosmetic displays, according to its website.

The company announced 75 potential job cuts by August in a WARN notice.

Requests for comment on the layoffs were not returned.

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Amazon - 77 workers

Amazon relocated 77 employees from Jersey City to other offices in New York and New Jersey, triggering a WARN notice. The majority of employees had the options to remain in their roles and relocate to other locations. Workers who chose not to relocate were given a severance package.

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PHH Home Loans - 78 workers

After agreeing in 2017 to pay the federal government $74 million for allegedly violating underwriting standards, Mount Laurel-based PHH Home Loans said it would cut some 2,250 jobs.

Half of those cuts were expected to be total losses, while another half would account for jobs moved to companies purchasing PHH assets.

Seventy-eight layoffs were announced for Mount Laurel by March. The company has other offices in Illinois, Florida and New York.

A company spokesman did not respond to requests for comment on the layoff process.

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Maggy London International - 80

Women's clothing company Maggy London announced 80 layoffs in East Rutherford.

The warehouse workers were cut in late June when the warehouse closed, although their contracts ran through the end of the year, Northjersey.com previously reported. They protested the sudden closure, as their jobs were moved to a different warehouse offering employees their minimum wage.

The company did not respond to a request for comment.

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Excelon Generation Company - 84 workers

Oyster Creek closed down its Excelon Generation Company nuclear power plant in Forked River in September, resulting in the layoff of 84 employees, the company said in a statement.

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Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries - 96 workers

This pharmaceutical company announced 96 layoffs by early 2019, following a consolidation of its New Brunswick and Cranbury manufacturing plants.

Operations will continue at New Brunswick.

"The restructuring is aimed at optimising our manufacturing operations and improving cost efficiencies in the increasingly competitive US market. We are offering full support to the employees at Cranbury and helping them with internal reallocations and outplacement services," a spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson did not respond to additional inquiries as to whether all jobs would be saved in the consolidation, or some lost.

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Tahari ASL - 101 workers

This high-end clothing brand announced 101 layoffs at its Millburn offices by the end of July.

Tahari ASL did not return request for comment.

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McKesson Corporation - 102

A spokesperson confirmed that Delran-based McKesson Corporation cut 102 jobs in March, upon closing its distribution center there.

The San Francisco-based company provides prescription and over-the-counter drugs, medical supplies, healthcare IT, and pharmacy management software, according to its website. It also has a pharmaceutical distribution facility in Robbinsville.

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Nine West - 102 workers

Following the closure of a distribution factory in West Deptford, Nine West Holdings let go of 102 employees in early June.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April. In October, it amended its filing to include a plan for restructuring.

A spokesperson declined to comment on the layoffs.

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E.I DuPont de Nemours and Company - 103 workers

In March, DuPont began transitioning the company's manufacturing from the Chambers Works Site in Deepwater to other suppliers with newer process technology, spokesman Daniel Turner said.

As a result, 103 employees at Chambers Works were laid off, and the company provided support and assistance to help them find other positions in the company or with local employers, Turner said in a statement.

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Kmart - 103 workers

The Kmart on Barbour Avenue in Clifton was one of 72 Sears Holding stores to close across the country.

The struggling retail giant laid of 103 employees of the Clifton location in September, according to a WARN notice.

"We continue to evaluate our network of stores, which are a critical component in our transformation, and will make further adjustments as needed and as warranted," Sears said in a statement, though the company did not reply to further request for comment.

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Lakewood Pathology Associates, Inc. - 103 workers

Lakewood Pathology Associates in Union laid off 103 workers in September, the company confirmed.

The medical group practice would not disclose a reason for the layoff.

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MOL (America) Inc. and NYK (North America) Inc. - 107 workers

A merger between MOL, or Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, NYK and a third company, K Line, led to a reshuffling of positions earlier this year.

The three companies were moving to operate as Ocean Network Express, according to a statement from MOL. MOL announced a cut of 32 employees from its Woodbridge office, and NYK was slated to see 75 cuts in its Secaucus office by the end of March.

But many of those employees, at least from MOL, were expected to be hired by ONE, Richard Craig, president and CEO of MOL (America) said in a statement in February.

"However, the company will undergo significant organizational changes involving elimination of a number of positions in Woodbridge which is still to be determined," he added.

Neither company, nor ONE, responded to inquiries regarding the merger and jobs.

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Mercedes-Benz - 115 workers

When Mercedes-Benz moved its headquarters from Montvale to Atlanta, Georgia, 115 employees were laid off.

These workers were a mix of full and part-time employees who either declined to make the move or were not offered another position within the company, spokeswoman Donna Boland said.

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hikma and West-Ward Pharmaceuticals - 116 workers

hikma, a pharmaceutical company based in Jordan, planned to cut up to 78 jobs at its Eatontown location in September, a WARN notice shows. That came after West-Ward Pharmaceuticals, a company under hikma that transitioned to become part of the hikma brand, announced 38 layoffs in Eatontown.

The company provides oral, liquid, inhalant, and injectable branded and non-branded generic medicines.

Request for comment on the layoffs and transition to hikma was not returned.

According to a March article from Reuters, the company was forced to cut revenue three times in 2017 and planned to cut 200 jobs this year as a result of consolidating manufacturing facilities and American distribution centers.

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Mimeo.com, Inc. - 116

Mimeo.com, a printing and distribution company, cut 116 jobs from its Newark operations in early July.

Those came as the company shut its Newark production facility and data center, citing high taxes and a lack of incentives to stay in the city.

The company did not provide comment on the layoffs.

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Lord & Taylor - 124 workers

Lord & Taylor is among the shrinking companies in 2018 as the fashion company moves to close 10 stores through 2019. The department store hopes to better balance its brick and mortar presence with online shopping, spokesman Spencer Waybright said.

The closings included the Monmouth Mall store, which will result in 124 layoffs on Jan. 31, 2019.

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Agfa Corporation - 125 workers

The Belgian digital and analog imaging and IT solutions company plans on laying off 125 workers in Somerville in late December, according to a WARN notice filed.

Agfa could not be reached for further comment.

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Virtua Center for Healthfitness in Washington Township - 125 workers

The health fitness center within Virtua Health & Wellness Center at Washington Township is scheduled to close by the end of 2018, eliminated 125 jobs.

But those employees, who don't fall under Virtua, come from Power Wellness, a management company overseeing the centers, according to Virtua spokesman Daniel Moise.

Power Wellness could not be reached for comment on the fate of the employees.

Other Viruta HealthFitness centers in Moorestown and Voorhees are not affected, Moise said.

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Majestic Rehabilitation & Nursing Center - 130 workers

Some 130 employees were shocked when the Majestic Rehabilitation & Nursing Center closed two weeks earlier than scheduled.

The Jersey City nursing home abruptly shut its doors on Aug. 24, although a WARN notice filed stated it would close Sept. 5. Majestic was not required to provide severance packages, and only nursing staff was offered positions at The Harborage, a unionized nursing home managed by the same company.

"Reason of closure proved purely for financial purposes, and ultimately made its decision to close based on the ever-increasing cost associated with providing care for its residents," Administrator Michael Brienza said in a statement on the website.

The residents were transferred to other facilities, and the closure was monitored by the state Department of Health and Human Services, Brienza said in the note.

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Wyndham Worldwide Operations, Inc. - 134 workers

In June, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation became Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc., according to a press release.

That meant moving the headquarters to Orlando, and cutting some 134 jobs in Parsippany, a spokesperson confirmed.

The hotel chain has properties in 110 countries, which include 220 vacation resorts and more than 4,000 affiliated exchange properties.

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JCPenney - 145 workers

About 145 employees lost their jobs after the JCPenney at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus closed in March.

"As part of the company's ongoing efforts to achieve sustainable growth and long-term profitability, we continually evaluate our store portfolio to ensure our locations offer the best expression of the JCPenney brand and can function as a seamless extension of our omnichannel experience," a company spokesman said.

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Teva Pharmaceuticals - 147 workers

After Teva announced 46 layoffs in Parsippany by early January and another 101 in Elizabeth for May, it's not quite clear how many people lost their jobs as facilities shuttered.

"Teva continues with a significant restructuring plan to restore its financial security and stabilize its business," the company said in a statement.

But jobs could be coming back to the area. In June, Teva accepted a $40 million tax savings credit over 10 years from the state's Economic Development Authority, and plans to move forward with a search for office space in the Parsippany-Troy Hills area, the statement said.

That will include moving some positions from its West Chester, Pa., operations to New Jersey.

"As the restructuring process, market dynamics and natural attrition are ongoing; we cannot confirm final and definitive numbers," the statement said.

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Solix - 149 workers

Solix will cut 149 jobs out of Parsippany following the loss of a large contract, a spokesperson said.

The company works in both the government and private sectors a business process outsourcing, or BPO, entity.

"This is in no way connected to any job relocation outside of the state," the statement said. "We remain committed and focused on growing our business and workforce here in New Jersey."

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Walmart - 149 workers

When a Walmart in Branchburg closed earlier this year, 149 workers faced potential layoffs.

But the vast majority, aside from a few dozen people who chose to take severance packages, were transferred to nearby stores, Phil Keene, a Walmart spokesman, said.

"We've done a number of expansions, at least two in New jersey, where we've added jobs, overall we're investing in the state," he added.

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NSC National Wholesale Liquidators - 152 workers

After a discount megastore filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, some 152 people could be out of a job by the beginning of next year.

In Lodi, a National Wholesale Liquidators which employs those people has an uncertain fate. Financial troubles have piled up at the chain retailer for more than a year, starting when a piece of construction equipment fell through the ceiling of a New York store, shuttering it. Another in Massachusetts lost its lease.

Calls and emails to the company were not returned.

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Aramark - 160 workers

Aramark Campus Services laid off 160 employees in Plainfield and Lawrenceville in June, according to a WARN notice filed.

Aramark provides food service, facilities and uniform services to hospitals, universities, school districts, stadiums and businesses around the world, according to its website. The company did not respond to multiple calls for comment.

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International Vitamin Corporation - 160 workers

International Vitamin Corporation produces dietary supplements, as well as nutritional prescription and over-the-counter products.

The Freehold-based company announced up to 160 layoffs from its office there by May in a WARN notice.

The company could not be reached for comment.

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Natirar Resort Development, Inc. - 160 workers (temporary)

The luxury resort in Peapack and Gladstone announced 160 layoffs over the summer, as the hotel moved to become an affiliate of the Pendry Hotel brand in October.

Those employees were slated to remain at Natirar, but under Pendry management, Bob Wojtowicz, Natirar's founder, said in a statement in August.

A spokesperson did not respond to a recent inquiry as to whether all employees had remained there as planned.

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Nestle Waters North America, Inc. - 175 workers (relocated)

While 175 layoffs were announced for a Kearny facility, no jobs were lost.

That's because delivery drivers at the branch were assigned new routes stemming from Long Island City, Elmsford, Jersey City and a new branch in Carlstadt, a Nestle Waters spokesperson said.

New operations have also opened in New York recently.

"The new facilities are strategically positioned closer to our customers," the spokesperson said. "They allow us to increase capacity to grow routes in the New York metro area, enhance customer experience, reduce our carbon footprint, and manage operational costs."

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Van Dyk Health Care, Inc. - 216 workers

Van Dyk in Ridgewood came under new ownership, which could have meant as many as 216 layoffs.

But the new operator, Family of Caring, "hired almost everyone," an employee at Van Dyk said.

It was not clear exactly how many jobs were lost. A request for further comment was referred to Family of Caring, which did not respond.

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Photo courtesy Stockton University

Seaview Dolce Hotel

The century-old Galloway Township hotel and golf club is undergoing a $17 million renovation, following its sale from Stockton University.

Once a posh getaway for the wealthy at the Jersey Shore, the hotel had begun hosting students, too, as Stockton purchased it and used some of the rooms to house its growing student body ahead of an Atlantic City campus opening.

It was scheduled to close in late November, with renovations expected to wrap up in early 2019.

That closure was expected to bring 229 temporary job cuts.

"We are working with our team members to plan ahead for this temporary closure period and prepare for the resort's swift reopening," Gabriella Chiera, a spokeswoman for Wyndham, said in a statement to NJ Advance Media in October.

She could not be reached for additional comment as to how the hotel was working with its employees during the closure.

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Sears - 256 workers

As Sears struggles nationally to find its footing alongside online competitors, the department store announced closures of three stores in the state.

Sears planned to lay off 144 workers when stores and an auto center in Deptford and Middletown were shuttered in October.

Another 49 jobs were eliminated when a Sears in Toms River closed in early April, and 63 others were expected to be cut in late November when the Hamilton Mall Sears in Mays Landing closed along with another auto center.

Sears did not respond to requests for comment about the layoffs, and if employees were moved to remaining stores.

The company lost $508 million in the second quarter of 2018, more than double the $250 million net loss for the same period the previous year.

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Crestron Electronics - 257

Crestron announced it would cut 257 jobs by the end of August in a WARN notice, but those production jobs are being relocated from Cresskill and Rockleigh to Orangeburg, N.Y., in 2019, a company spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said in a statement Crestron is "proud to be the largest and most recognized brand in automation and control solutions, and the premier technology partner for Fortune 500 businesses globally."

Crestron "offers guests an up close and personal look at the hottest control technology in a fully immersive environment," according to its website.

This portion of the story has been updated to include clarification and comment from Crestron.

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HMS Host - 280 workers (temporary)

HMS Host provides staffing to rest stops along the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, some of which are closed during renovations through Memorial Day 2019. Those renovations including the Thomas Edison rest area on the Turnpike and the Monmouth service area in Wall.

More than 280 employees lost their jobs due to the closings, but once the service areas reopen, all associates will be eligible for rehire, the company said.

All managers of the rest stops were temporarily relocated, and hourly associates were moved to other locations operated by HMS Host. The company also implemented a "stay bonus" and income extension program for the hourly associates.

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Allergan - 308 workers

Pharmaceutical giant Allergan moved its headquarters to the Giralda Farms office park in Madison in 2016, keeping 1,500 jobs and creating another 300 full-time positions in the Garden State, the company said at the time.

But in March, 308 employees lost their jobs after the company most well-known for Botox lost exclusive rights to certain products.

"As part of a previously announced internal restructuring plan related to the loss of exclusivity for certain products, Allergan intends to eliminate approximately 1,000 currently filled positions globally. These reductions impact employees in commercial and other functions, primarily focused on products and categories subject to loss of exclusivity," a spokesman said.

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Bill Gallo | NJ.com for NJ Advance Media

Memorial Hospital of Salem County - 408 workers

Just over 400 employees were put on notice of possible job cuts at this South Jersey hospital by the end of the year.

The WARN notice listed 339 employees at the Salem Hospital Corporation, 39 at Salem Clinic Corporation, 19 at Salem Home Care Service, LLC and 11 from Salem Medical Professionals, P.C.

That follows a sale of the struggling hospital from Tennessee-based Community Health Systems to North Jersey's Community Health Associates. Last month, 200 employees attended an information session with the new company, which has already promised to rehire most of those workers.

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Personal-Touch Home Care - 457 workers

More than 450 jobs were in jeopardy at Personal-Touch Home Care facilities around the state.

By May 18, a WARN notice stated branches in Neptune, Roselle Park, Union City and Bloomfield would cut 53, 100, 28 and 276 employees each.

The company has 25 facilities in seven states, according to its website. It provides round-the-clock care to individuals in their homes.

Personal-Touch did not return a request for comment on the layoffs.

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Conagra (formerly Pinnacle Foods) - 504 workers

Conagra Brands plans to close two New Jersey facilities and lay off up to 504 workers in 2019, according to notices filed with the state Department of Labor. The food company produces brands like Duncan Hines, Hunt's Healthy Choice and Orville Redenbacher's, among others.

The notices said 308 workers could be let go in Parsippany by March and another 196 in Cherry Hill by May. Some employees will have the chance to apply for other positions at Conagra in Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska, a company spokesman said.

The Parsippany and Cherry Hill offices were formerly part of Pinnacle Foods, which Conagra acquired earlier this year for $10.9 billion. The Parsippany location was the headquarters of the former Pinnacle Foods.

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Sam's Club - 527 workers

Sam's Clubs in Mount Olive, Budd Lake and West Windsor suddenly closed in February, leaving a total of 527 employees out of a job.

Those included 187 at the Linden store, 196 for the West Windsor store and 144 in Mount Olive.

"Our hope is that many associates at the Club will choose to stay with the company via transfer and we'll begin working to make that happen," a company spokeswoman said in a statement to NJ Advance Media in February.

The company planned to pay employees for 60 days, and said severance would be provided to eligible workers after that period if they had not landed at a different Sam's Club or Walmart.

Sam's Club did not respond to a request for comment seeking the number of employees placed at other stores.

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Shiel Holdings, LLC - 538 workers

This Rockleigh medical lab announced last year it would layoff 538 people following an acquisition by Quest Diagnostics, and planned those cuts by Jan. 31, 2018.

The closing of Shiel Medical Laboratory, one of the largest in the region, was slated to take place by the end of 2017. Quest said at the time it planned to move the services provided by Shiel laboratories in Rockleigh and Brooklyn to its flagship clinical laboratory in Teterboro.

Some of those employees landed positions in Teterboro, or in other facilities in the area, which include New York and New Jersey, Wendy Bost, a Quest spokesperson, said in February.

She said Quest had created 300 new positions, over 200 of which were filled by former Shiel employees.

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ABM Aviation - 821 workers

More than 800 workers faced layoffs after United Airlines changed contractors, but employees were given a chance to re-apply for similar jobs.

The contract with the mega-airline was due to expire and sent out to bid, United Airlines said in a statement. ABM Aviation was providing many of the wheelchair, security and passenger services for the airline.

The company did not respond to repeated calls for request, and did not disclose how many of those 821 were rehired.

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Toys R Us - 2,028 workers

In one of the year's highest profile retail closings, beloved Toys 'R' Us shuttered stores across the country as the long-storied company went bankrupt.

That accounted for a loss of 2,028 jobs in New Jersey between May and August, at the retailer's Wayne headquarters and Flanders distribution center.

The WARN notices did not include employees at the 25 New Jersey stores that were also shuttered.

Experts said online retailers, particularly Amazon, were to blame for the loss of the store and beloved Geoffrey the Giraffe.

While traces of the company's heyday are now gone, Geoffrey isn't -- last month, the company revealed a plan to launch pop-up boxes offering exclusive toys in select grocery stores.

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Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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