US Department of Labor publishes proposed rule setting national minimum weekly work search requirement for unemployment insurance

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration today announced a proposed rule designed to improve the integrity and accountability of the Federal-State Unemployment Insurance Program by establishing a national minimum weekly work search standard for individuals claiming unemployment insurance benefits.

Under the proposed rule, individuals claiming unemployment insurance benefits would be required to complete at least five qualifying work-search activities each week and to report those activities before payment is issued.

"The purpose of unemployment insurance is to provide temporary support while people proactively search for a new job or upskill to meet the needs of employers restoring critical supply chains," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. "This proposed rule helps jobseekers find work faster and ensures efficient use of taxpayer resources while improving the overall integrity of our unemployment system."

The proposal would also identify a range of modern job search activities beyond employer contacts, including registration and ongoing contact with placement agencies and unions that are specific, identifiable, and reasonably calculated to lead to reemployment. The department also proposed providing limited, defined circumstances under which individuals may be deemed to have equivalent labor force attachment.

The department is inviting comments on the rule, as well as a points-based system, which could provide states with flexibility to prioritize activities that connect individuals to sectors with greater job openings. Comments on the proposed rule are due 60 days from its publication in the Federal Register.

Read the proposed rulemaking, "Unemployment Insurance Program National Minimum Weekly Work Search Requirements."