Connecticut Department of Labor reinstates weekly work search requirement effective May 30

Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby today announced that the work search requirement for unemployment benefits will begin again on May 30, 2021. The mandatory work search requirement was waved on March 19, 2020, as part of Connecticut’s public health response to the pandemic. The waiver allowed unemployment claimants to receive benefits even though they were not engaged in work search activities that are normally a condition of unemployment benefits.

“Last spring, COVID-19 infections were rising steeply so suspending the work search requirement was a very important part of protecting public health,” Commissioner Westby said. “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. We’ve seen a steady decline in both the number of people filing for weekly benefits and the unemployment rate – good news for businesses and the economy. 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.

For more information, read the press release issued today by the Connecticut Department of Labor.