Connecticut
Department of Labor

Navigating the Weekly Work Search Requirement

* This page is updated frequently as we get questions. Please check back often. *

What counts as an “employer contact”?

• An employer contact is a direct communication with an employer in the effort to secure full-time employment (or part-time work if CTDOL has determined you are only medically available for part-time work)
• When you are filing your Work Search activities, you are required to make one employer contact and at least two other work search activities.
• Employer contacts may not be duplicated.

Example: Claimant A files their Work Search efforts and records three Work Search activities, one of which must be an employer contact.

1. They have updated their LinkedIn profile (this counts as a work search activity)
2. They have sent a job application to Business Z (this counts as an employer contact)
3. They updated their resume on CTHires (this counts as a work search activity)

The next week, Claimant A goes to Business Z for an interview on the job applied for last week.

This does NOT count as an employer contact because Claimant A already used Business Z as an employer contact. The interview does count as a work search activity though.

Their weekly Work Search filing will look like this:

1. Interview with Business Z (this counts as a work search activity but cannot be an employer contact because it was already used the week before)
2. Attended professional association event (this counts as a work search activity)
3. Contacted Business K for a job application (this counts as an employer contact)

Fast facts about Work Search:

• Beginning May 30, 2021, mandatory work search was reinstated.
• Filers must look for full-time work every week they file for unemployment benefits. (Unless they are excused from the work search requirement through an employer or other program.)
• Filers must report these work search activities online with their weekly certification.
• Reminder: navigate to your account page through the green button, do not bookmark your account pages.

What filers must do:

Each week you file a claim for benefits on the green button, you must:

1. Actively look for full-time work.
2. Make a minimum of 3 work search efforts per week—1 of these must be an employer contact. The employer contacts may not be duplicated.
   • A job interview is a valid work search activity but does not count as an employer contact as it is a duplicate contact.
   • Ex: You contact Business A in search of a job. This is an employer contact that you can report in your work search efforts that week. A week later, Business A schedules a job interview. When you go to the interview you can count it as a work search activity, but not an employer contact since you counted it as an employer contact the week before.
3. Document all efforts to find work.
4. Be prepared to provide proof of your work search activities.

Your search for full-time employment can be a combination of activities—at least one of the work search activities must be employer contact.

For example:

• 3 employer contacts, or
• 2 employer contacts, plus 1 other work search activity, or
• 1 employer contact, plus 2 other work search activities.

Work search activities can be in person or virtual and may include the following:

• Contacting an employer for full-time work.
  • You must have at least 1 employer contact in your weekly efforts.
  • Remember, a job interview is not an employer contact as it duplicates efforts. You already counted that employer contact when you applied for the job.
  • Attending a workshop or participating in reemployment activities provided by an American Job Center; or searching job postings.
  • Attending a job fair or a networking event held by a formal organization like an industry association.
  • Creating a reemployment plan.
• Attending a job interview.
  • This counts as a work search activity, but not an employer contact as it is duplicate effort in contacting the employer for the interview.
• Following up on a job interview.
• Creating a resume, uploading the resume and making the resume viewable to employers in CTHires, Connecticut’s job bank.
• Creating a personal user profile on a professional networking site.
• Working with a professional career coach.
• Taking employment-related classes.

For Part-time workers:

• Part-time workers must show they are looking for full-time work; reporting and documenting the 3 Work Search efforts listed above.

Individuals available only for Part-Time work:

• Individuals who have provided medical documentation to CTDOL showing that they must limit their availability for work to part-time work due to a chronic, long-term or permanent medical condition must also actively look for part-time work, using the guidelines on this page.

For PUA Claimants

• PUA claimants who are not self-employed must follow the work search guidelines referenced above.
• PUA claimants who are self-employed must make 3 efforts per week as well.  

• Self-employed PUA claimants may list their own business as the direct employer contact, and
• Self-employed PUA claimants may engage in work search activities to support their employment, such as: 

• contacting clients
• sending out bids
• maintaining business facilities and/or property
• attending training
• expanding business portfolio
• developing marketing materials to expand customer base

How to document:

• June-July 6, 2021 claimants are required to keep records on work search activities. Use this form for guidance.
• Beginning July 7, 2021, claimants are required to report their work search efforts online through their weekly claims filing on the green button on www.FileCTUI.com. The agency urges claimants to keep their June work search documentation in the case of audit. 

Failure to comply with the Work Search Requirement:

Work search activities may be audited at any time.  Failure to provide information could result in a denial of unemployment benefits for that week; claimants may also have to pay back benefits already received.  

 

For Extended Benefits claimants:

 

Extended Benefit claimants that do not conduct required work search efforts will be ineligible for benefits until:

• They have again become employed in at least four subsequent weeks; and
• They have earned wages of at least four times their weekly benefit amount.

 *Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), the $300 ‘plus up,’ is not considered part of the weekly benefit. 

For example: If you receive $250 per week in Extended Benefits (excluding FPUC) and fail to conduct a work search, you are disqualified from receiving benefits until you work  as an employee for 4 weeks and earn $1000 in wages.

UI Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (UI RESEA)

Claimants who are selected for the UI RESEA program will show previous week work search efforts during the mandatory meeting.Failure to conduct reasonable efforts may disqualify you from receiving benefits for that week. RESEA.

FAQs

Resources

• #DOLDaily Busqueda De Trabajo
• #DOLDaily Work Search Efforts - What is Work Search?
  
• #DOLDaily explainer on work search
• #DOLDaily ¿Qué es la búsqueda de trabajo?
• #DOLDaily ¿Cuáles son los requisitos de búsqueda de trabajo?
• #DOLDaily ¿Cuáles son los diferentes tipos de requisitos de búsqueda de trabajo? (What are the different types of job search requirements?)
• Work Search Graphic Presentation
• Work Search Email sent to claimants beginning May 23, 2021.

Questions? Call the
Consumer Contact Center.