The Labor Department proposed a rule on Monday that would raise the bar for people applying for unemployment insurance by requiring them to prove they’ve conducted five work-search activities per week in order to qualify for benefits.
There is currently no uniform requirement across the U.S. for unemployment insurance claimants regarding work-search requirements.
Federal law requires all states to have a work-search requirement, but states have broad discretion to set their own eligibility. They also have ample leeway to set other parameters such as the weekly sum claimants can receive and the number of weeks they can get those funds.
A qualifying work search activity might be applying to a job, creating a profile on a job-search website or attending a networking event, for example, depending on the state.
Currently, only four states require a minimum of five work searches per week, Michele Evermore, the senior director of economic security and worker transitions at the National Employment Law Project, wrote in an email.
The remaining states require fewer activities, she said.
“This proposed rule helps jobseekers find work faster and ensures efficient use of taxpayer resources while improving the overall integrity of our unemployment system,” Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said in the release.
There’s a 60-day public comment period on the proposal.
“Unemployment insurance is meant to be temporary support while you find your next job, not a permanent taxpayer-funded paycheck,” Sonderling wrote Monday on X.
Jobless workers generally aren’t eligible for unemployment insurance for more than six months in almost all states.