In short
- Proposed rule published in the Federal Register on November 10, 2026: every state would have to require at least five work search activities per week, or five points under a points system.
- Applications and job interviews would always count. So would registering with a placement agency and contacting your union. States could add job fairs, workshops and certification exams.
- No more warnings: a week without the required activities would simply not be paid.
- It is only a proposal. Comments close January 11, 2027, and states would get one year after a final rule takes effect to comply. Until then, your state's current rules apply.
On this page
What the proposed work search requirements say
Federal law already says that people on unemployment insurance must be able to work, available for work and actively seeking work. What counts as "actively seeking" has been left to each state. According to the Labor Department's own count, as of January 1, 2025, a few states required five work search activities per week, a few required four, nearly half required three, some required two, and the rest required one.
The proposal (Docket ETA-2026-0100) would add a new section to the federal rules on unemployment compensation, 20 CFR 604.6. In short:
- Five a week. You would need at least five qualifying work search activities for each week you claim. A state may instead use a points system: each activity is worth one, two or three points, and you need five points a week.
- Reported before payment. You would report the details of each activity when you certify for the week (weekly or every two weeks, depending on your state), and be ready to show proof if asked.
- No warnings. States could no longer let a missed week go with a warning. If you do not meet the requirement, that week is not paid.
- Written notice. When you file, your state would have to tell you in writing which activities count, that five are required, how its points system works, and that missing them means no payment.
What would count as a work search activity
The proposal says states cannot limit work search to employer contacts alone. It sets a list that every state must accept, and a list that states may add.
| Activity | Status under the proposal | What to keep as proof |
|---|---|---|
| Submitting a job application | Must count in every state | Confirmation email or screenshot, date, employer, job title |
| Job interview | Must count in every state | Invitation, date, interviewer's name |
| Skills or aptitude test for a specific employer or an American Job Center | Must count in every state | Test invitation or result |
| Registering with a placement agency, then staying in contact | Must count in every state | Agency name, recruiter, dates of contact |
| Contacting your union for a job referral | Must count in every state | Date and person contacted |
| Job fair or hiring event | Counts if your state chooses | Event name, date, employers met |
| Workshop, training, career center services | Counts if your state chooses | Attendance confirmation |
| Professional assessment or certification exam | Counts if your state chooses | Registration or score report |
The Labor Department gives two examples of a week that meets the bar: five separate employer contacts, or two job interviews plus a job fair, a professional assessment and one application.
Who would not need five work searches a week
Some people would be treated as meeting the work search requirements without five activities:
- Always: people in state-approved training making satisfactory progress, in a Self-Employment Assistance program, on short-time compensation (work sharing), or enrolled in a Registered Apprenticeship; union members who use their union's hiring hall and contact it at least once a week.
- If the state allows it: a definite return-to-work date with your former employer within 8 weeks; federal employees out of work during a lapse in appropriations; a claim filed less than 72 hours before the end of the benefit week; jury duty or an emergency hospitalization that prevents the search; a federally declared major disaster (up to 26 weeks); an accepted job offer starting within 4 weeks.
When the new work search requirements could apply
- November 10, 2026: the proposed rule is published. Nothing changes for current claims.
- January 11, 2027: the public comment period closes. Interested persons can send written comments, citing Docket ETA-2026-0100.
- Final rule: the Labor Department reviews comments and may change the text. No date has been announced.
- One year later: the proposal gives states one year from the final rule's effective date to comply, because many will have to change their laws.
Worker advocates oppose the change. Michele Evermore of the National Employment Law Project told CBS News it would hurt claimants who may not find five openings every week and cost states money to rebuild their systems. The Labor Department says one national standard will cut confusion between states.
Meeting your state's work search requirements today
Until a final rule is in force, the number of activities and what counts are set by your state. Check your state unemployment agency's website or your claimant handbook, then:
- Log every activity the day you do it: date, employer, job title, how you applied, contact name, result. States can audit your log, and a wrong entry can cost you the week.
- Keep proof: confirmation emails, screenshots of online applications, interview invitations.
- Mix activities: applications, recruiter calls, a job fair. If the proposal is adopted, varied activities will count.
- Make each application count: match your resume to the job posting so the time spent can turn into an interview.
If you were laid off with notice, see what a WARN notice means and what to do in the 60 days. For a resume that gets past the first screen, use our AI resume checker, and our guide to skills for a resume.
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About the author
Diego Benitez
Founder of Kandiq, more than 100 hires led
Diego Benitez has hired more than a hundred people, in marketing, sport and sales, as a manager at Intersport and then as Head of Growth at Goodvest (2022 to 2026). He ran those hiring processes from start to finish: screening applications, interviews, the hiring decision, then managing the team. He also knows the candidate's side: internships, work-study, student jobs, a permanent contract, starting an agency, then freelancing. He built Kandiq to give candidates what he looked for in an application himself, and what screening software can read. His guides start from the questions candidates ask Google, rely on official public sources (government employment and careers services, employment law) and are updated when the rules change. The examples are fictional; the figures are sourced.
