More than $7M in back pay unclaimed in New Jersey

The U.S. Labor Department says nearly 10,000 workers in New Jersey are owed more than $7 million in back pay and may not know it.

The Record newspaper reports the agency’s Philadelphia office said this week that it’s holding $7.2 million that belongs to thousands of private sector workers in the state. That’s about $720 per worker, on average.

The unclaimed back pay was collected from employers over the past three years as a result of enforcement actions.

Officials say workers who switch jobs or move away can be hard to find.

Those who believe they have cash coming can go to the agency’s new “Wages Owed Workers” website. Once there, they can type in their employer’s name and location followed by their own last name and first initial.