Labor Department proposes 5 job searches a week for unemployment benefits
The Labor Department proposed a national rule that would require people collecting unemployment benefits to complete and report at least five job-search activities every week before they are paid. Most states now require fewer, and the public can comment until Jan. 11, 2027.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
The Labor Department on Monday proposed a national rule that would require people collecting unemployment insurance to complete at least five qualifying job-search activities every week they claim benefits. Claimants would have to report those activities before each payment is released. The proposal was published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, opening a public comment period that runs through Jan. 11, 2027.
What would count: Applications, job interviews and skills tests with a specific employer would all count, as would contact with a placement agency or a union. States could also credit job fairs, career-center visits, workshops and certification exams. States could instead use a points system worth five points a week, with each activity worth one to three points. The rule would bar states from issuing warnings instead of denying a week's benefits when someone falls short.
The case for: Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said the rule "helps jobseekers find work faster and ensures efficient use of taxpayer resources." He wrote on X that unemployment insurance "is meant to be temporary support while you find your next job, not a permanent taxpayer-funded paycheck." The department says job-search errors are a main driver of improper payments, and it cites a Washington state study in which claimants who faced a job-search test collected benefits about three fewer weeks than those who faced none.
Why it matters
Unemployment checks are run by the states under federal rules, and today the job-search bar varies widely. As of Jan. 1, 2025, "a few" states required five activities a week and nearly half required three, according to the rule. Only four states now require five, Michele Evermore of the National Employment Law Project told CNBC. Under the proposal, every state would have to rewrite its rules to meet the new minimum.
What’s next
After comments close Jan. 11, the department can revise and finalize the rule. States would then have one year from the final rule's effective date to comply.
More context
The case against: Evermore told CNBC the change would be "devastating to claimants who may not have five search options for every week they are unemployed." She said it would likely cost states "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to update forms and computer systems. She also called it "highly unusual" for the department to change how states run the program without clear direction from Congress.
From the proposed rule: The department estimates claimants would spend about 133.5 million more hours a year on job searches, assuming 30 minutes per added activity across about 100 million weekly claims. It also acknowledges the change "could temporarily increase" the program's improper payment rate as states and claimants adjust.
Who's exempt: People in state-approved training or registered apprenticeships, and union members who use a hiring hall, would be treated as meeting the requirement. States could also excuse workers with a set return date within eight weeks, federal workers idled by a funding lapse, jury duty, emergency hospital stays, a job offer starting within four weeks, or a federally declared disaster for up to 26 weeks.
The job market backdrop: About 27.6% of unemployed workers had been out of work for more than six months as of October, up from 20.5% three years earlier, CNBC reported.
3 listed sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Unemployment Insurance Program National Minimum Weekly Work Search Requirements (proposed rule, 91 FR 72472), Federal Register, Nov. 10, 2026
- CNBC (Greg Iacurci), Trump administration proposes stricter work-search rules for unemployment benefits, Nov. 9, 2026
- CBS News, Trump administration proposes stricter work search rules to qualify for unemployment benefits, Nov. 9, 2026
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Rule details, exceptions, the comment deadline, the one-year state compliance window and the 133.5 million-hour estimate are from the proposed rule published in the Federal Register on Nov. 10. Sonderling's quotes, the four-state count and Michele Evermore's comments are from CNBC. The long-term unemployment shares are from CNBC. The hero photo shows the Labor Department's headquarters (file photo, 2017).
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