WETHERSFIELD, Conn. — A work search requirement for unemployment benefits will begin again on May 30, the Connecticut Department of Labor announced Friday.
The mandatory work search requirement was waived more than a year ago at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The waiver allowed claimants to receive unemployment benefits even though they were not engaged in work search activities.
“Last spring, COVID-19 infections were rising steeply so suspending the work search requirement was a very important part of protecting public health,” CTDOL Commissioner Kurt Westby said in a statement. “Now that vaccine is widely available and we have public health guidance in place to reduce the infection rate, many residents are heading back to work.”
Westby said the state has seen a steady decline in the number of people filing for weekly unemployment benefits and the unemployment rate.
“Good news for businesses and the economy,” he said. “Reinstating work search requirements will support the state’s ongoing recovery and reopening efforts.”
Connecticut joins more than two dozen states in restoring the work search requirement and, beginning May 30, 2021, will require claimants to document their efforts to find a job.
Claimants must make reasonable weekly work search efforts by:
Contacting an employer: claimants must contact at least one employer per week for work for which the claimant is reasonably suited based upon prior work experience, skills, knowledge, and ability. Claimants may initiate contact online, in person, by phone, or by mail. They must ensure that the employer can contact them for hiring purposes.
Retaining documentation related to work search activities.
Beginning July 2021, all claimants filing their weekly certification will be required to report their work search activity online. For the month of June, claimants are required to keep records on work search activities; CTDOL will provide a form for guidance.
For more information, visit https://portal.ct.gov/DOLUI/work-search
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