A growing number of states are reviving their work search requirements for anyone collecting unemployment benefits, part of a broader effort nationwide to bring out-of-work Americans back to their jobs.
States lifted the requirement early in the coronavirus pandemic amid an unprecedented shutdown of the nation’s economy and an urgent need for people to stay at home. But as COVID-19 caseloads have fallen as more Americans are vaccinated, allowing businesses to reopen and life to slowly move back to some semblance of normal, states are bringing the work search requirement back.
At least 36 states will now require anyone collecting jobless aid to also search for a job and provide evidence that they’re doing so – a move that many employers may welcome.
Requirements vary by state, but Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming will all have some type of search obligation
